Is This Thing On?

Summary

Blank Check with Griffin and David – Episode: "Is This Thing On?"
January 4, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode marks the kickoff of Blank Check’s 11th year. Griffin Newman, David Sims, Marie Barty Salinas, and Ben Hosley gather to discuss Bradley Cooper’s latest directorial effort, Is This Thing On?, a dramedy about a middle-aged man (played by Will Arnett) who turns to stand-up comedy during a divorce. The group explores Cooper's career, the film’s relationship to both real-life comedy scenes and Cameron Crowe’s filmography, and debates the effectiveness of its approach to depicting divorce, comedy, and friendship.

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Main Discussion Points & Insights

1. Podcast Banter & Blank Check Traditions

• The episode opens with playful bickering about their intro process, running jokes about Griffin never arriving on time, and Ben’s infamous sandwich. This reflects Blank Check’s signature balance of deep film analysis and personal rapport.
  • “I look over and Ben has magically produced—the largest. It’s fresh out of the microwave. Steam lines coming off of it.” (03:33 — Griffin)
  • The group notes the start of their 11th year, reflecting on the longevity of the show and their changing approaches to miniseries and special episodes.
    • “This is the first episode of our 11th year.” (01:02 – Griffin)

2. General Reactions to Is This Thing On?

• Consensus: The hosts found Is This Thing On? middling and dramatically unfunny, though Bradley Cooper’s supporting turn as “Balls” won consistent praise for comedic energy.
  • “I found it dramatically unfunny…this movie made my skin crawl.” (02:04 — Griffin)
  • “Every single time Balls is on screen, I was laughing. The entire audience was laughing. The rest of the movie was pin drop silent.” (02:41 — Griffin)

3. Bradley Cooper’s Career and “Blank Check” Status

• The episode situates Cooper as a “blank check” filmmaker—a director whose early success (specifically A Star Is Born and Maestro) let him pursue passion projects.
  • Recaps previous Blank Check coverage of Cooper (A Star is Born, Maestro).
  • Griffin expresses concern that this film feels “small” and not up to Cooper’s earlier ambition.
    • “His first two films are the work of a filmmaker-filmmaker…This to me feels like one of those Tribeca movies an actor does as a one-off.” (39:05 — Marie)

4. Cameron Crowe Comparisons and the Search for Emotional Truth

• The hosts continually compare Is This Thing On? to Cameron Crowe, discussing the elusive “Crowe Magic”—emotional, messy human connections and risk-taking sincerity.
  • “This movie has some Cameron Crowe energy…moments I really liked—such as…the Amazing Grace scene where I’m like, I love this.” (43:03 — David)
  • Griffin laments what he sees as the film’s lack of lived-in specificity, particularly compared to classic Crowe.
    • “It feels like a movie about divorce that doesn’t understand people.” (45:51 — Griffin)

5. Authenticity of Stand-Up & New York Comedy Scene

• Significant discussion of how the film portrays stand-up, and how it diverges from the hosts’ actual comedy experiences.
  • Griffin and Ben note the technical inaccuracies—the Comedy Cellar would not be an open mic jump-off for a newcomer, crowds are more hostile, and club mics are more depressing than the film depicts.
    • "[The Comedy Cellar is] one of the hardest places to get passed…it is not a place that has open mics as they show.” (93:06 — Griffin)
  • “No one is that polite in an open mic. And especially that kind of stage.” (75:52 — Griffin)

6. Depiction of Divorce and Character Dynamics

• The panel agrees the film tries to depict a “chiller” divorce (amicable, child-centered, not rooted in betrayal).
  • “It’s a movie about divorce that isn’t about a fight.” (49:59 — Griffin)
  • Marie calls out the vagueness of the characters’ backgrounds and relationship issues:
    • “We get put in media res into that huge problem divorce…we don’t really know why they split up.” (45:56 — Marie)
• The group praises Laura Dern’s performance but laments the film's lack of perspective and missed potential:
  • “If this movie was like, Bradley Cooper has decided to make a film about Laura Dern in middle age…There’s no way you can convince me I won’t eat that shit up.” (48:44 — Griffin)

7. Will Arnett’s Casting & Comedy

• Mixed feelings about Will Arnett in the lead—while he’s a beloved performer, the group questions if he has the depth or vulnerability the role requires.
  • “Is he the right person for this? Can I, like, buy this sort of depth and nuance…?” (115:20 — Griffin)

8. Favorite and Least Favorite Moments

• Everyone enjoyed Cooper’s “Balls” character, Peyton Manning’s surprising cameo (and acting skills), and isolated comedic bits by guest stand-up Jordan Jensen.
  • “I think maybe you’re right, but I do like Bradley as Balls, though.” (52:54 — David)
  • “Peyton Manning playing a character…He impressively plays a guy…realizes halfway in, he’s going to fuck her.” (100:25 — David)
• Strongest emotional reaction: both David and Griffin point to the “Amazing Grace” breakfast scene as a fleeting success at Crowe-style magic.

9. Industry Tangents, Personal Anecdotes & Comedy War Stories

• The crew shares tales of real-world open mic horrors, the dynamics between real comedians, and riffs on their own comedic and podcasting journeys.
  • "I walked off and this…one guy…was like, ‘really, really funny stuff. Excited to see you perform more.’ And then the final comic gets up…just [does] material about pussy juice…And [that guy] is laughing harder than anyone has ever laughed at anything.” (132:31 — Griffin)
• Digressions on the economics and social hierarchies of comedy, the changing landscape post-2010s, and the alienating nature of both the profession and the film’s gentrified, upper-middle-class New York marriages.

10. Future Coverage and Industry News

• Teases upcoming 2026 films they’ll cover (Sam Raimi, Spielberg, M. Night Shyamalan, Danny Boyle, and more).
• Updates on Bradley Cooper’s possible future directing projects, and Hollywood buzz and gossip.

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On the Film’s Humor:

  • “I found it dramatically unfunny…this movie made my skin crawl.” (02:04 — Griffin)
  • “Every single time Balls is on screen, I was laughing. And at the screening…the entire audience was laughing, and the rest of the movie was pin drop silent.” (02:41 — Griffin)

• On Will Arnett and Bradley Cooper’s Friendship:

  • “The big thing he always cites is that Will Arnett is like one of the first people who helped him get clean…Will Arnett pulled him aside one night and said, like, ‘You know everyone thinks you’re an asshole, right?’” (35:34 — Griffin)

• Cameron Crowe Vibes & Modern Nostalgia:

  • “You’re just like, Jesus fucking Christ. And I think in rewatching the lesser Crows…I have more affection for those moments even when they don’t work…he could identify these incredibly precise, incredibly small moments of humanity…” (44:26 — Griffin)

• On Stand-Up Realism:

  • “No one is that polite in open mic. And especially that kind of stage.” (75:52 — Griffin)
  • “It is a failure of the movie to not depict this…not to see how he is building or developing.” (96:43 — Griffin)

• On Laura Dern’s Role:

  • “She’s doing everything you’re asking her to do here. Well. But you’re really not going to ask her to go deeper than this.” (116:28 — Griffin)
  • “If this movie was about Laura Dern in middle age…former Olympic volleyball player trying to figure out her next move after divorce, I’d be like, ‘There is no way you can convince me I won’t eat that shit up.’” (48:44 — Griffin)

• On Emotional Specificity:

  • “It’s a movie about divorce that doesn’t understand people.” (45:51 — Griffin)
  • “The notion of him delivering [the blown-up volleyball poster] is so bizarre…I wouldn’t even understand what the fuck he was saying.” (113:34 — Griffin)

• Peyton Manning’s Appearance:

  • “He impressively plays a guy who’s just getting a drink with an old friend, realizes halfway into the date, he’s going to fuck her. Great actors could not do what he is doing.” (100:25 — David)

• On Open Mic Culture:

  • “Mitzi Shore was Pauly Shore’s mother…Comedy Store…She’s an LA person. No, [the Comedy Cellar is] one of the hardest places to get passed. It is not a place that has open mics as they show.” (93:06 — Griffin)
  • “Crashing obviously did it best…That was a show where the actor was the correct age for the role.” (94:00 — David)

• On the State of Comedy:

  • “Men will literally do stand up to avoid going to therapy.” (77:55 — Griffin)

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Additional Noteworthy Segments

• 37:47 – Marie and Griffin on (re-)assessing Cameron Crowe’s “Aloha” and “Elizabethtown,” and why the Crowe “vibe” is missing from Hollywood.
• 75:55–77:43 – Griffin and Ben detail the realities of New York open mics and how the movie gets things wrong.
• 132:23–134:39 – Griffin’s personal open mic story highlighting the absurd, sad, and sometimes grotesque realities of stand-up’s lower rungs.
• 100:26–102:34 – Peyton Manning’s acting gets dissection, including his SNL context and his scene-stealing performance.

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Episode Structure & Flow

• Opening: Banter, intros, jokes about podcasting process (00:01–05:00)
• Film introduction & reactions: (“not a laugh riot,” “unfunny,” love for “Balls”) (02:00–07:00)
• Long digression: cheesesteaks, Philadelphia, and the logistics of the Cooper pop-up (04:08–15:00)
• Blank Check traditions, explanation of Cooper’s trajectory (20:04–25:46)
• Analysis: film vs. reality of stand-up, deep-dive into comedy club accuracy, mechanics of open mics (69:00–80:00)
• Discussions of divorce, relationships, Cameron Crowe “magic,” and movie’s shortcomings (40:00–50:00, 45:55–52:00, 107:22–114:26)
• Peyton Manning’s cameo and performance (101:00–104:00)
• Deep-dive: arcs of side characters, friendships, missed opportunities (116:59–119:43)
• Lightning Round: other favorite standup comedies, “what gets it right” (128:21–129:13)
• Extended outros and digressions about family, future coverage, and “Wizard of Oz” commentary plans (137:07–end)

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Conclusion

Is This Thing On? is received as a minor, messy Bradley Cooper “hangout”/breakup film, uninspired in both its depiction of New York stand-up and intimate marital struggles. The group finds flashes of charm and humor—especially in Cooper’s supporting role—but ultimately laments a lack of emotional specificity and the missed opportunity to channel the best of Cameron Crowe or the real-life complexities of comedy and human connection. The episode is loaded with Blank Check’s characteristic tangents, deep industry and cultural knowledge, and digressive, affectionately competitive energy.

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Recommended Listen Segments

• 02:41–02:52 – Griffin & David on "Balls" and crowd response
• 40:26–45:00 – Cameron Crowe parallels and “Crowe magic” in filmmaking
• 75:52–77:55 – Griffin & Ben on comedy club and open mic realism
• 100:25–101:53 – Peyton Manning’s cameo and Laura Dern’s scene
• 132:23–134:39 – Griffin’s classic open mic horror story

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Tone:
Witty, self-referential, occasionally caustic, always deeply knowledgeable—balancing dense film analysis and bantering friendship, with a penchant for film-critic inside jokes and generational nostalgia.

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Summary Prepared by:
Blank Check Podcast Summarizer, January 2026

Transcript

[Griffin Newman]

Blank Check with Griffin and David. Blank Check with Griffin and David. Don't know what to say or to expect.

[David Sims]

All you need to know is that.

[Griffin Newman]

The name of the shadow is Blackjack. Oh. Do you have something to say?

[David Sims]

No, go ahead.

[Griffin Newman]

Is this podcast on?

[David Sims]

See, he. He. He wanted. He killed our great intro so he could do that.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, that was a way.

[David Sims]

That's why he killed.

[Griffin Newman]

It works.

[David Sims]

That's why he killed.

[Griffin Newman]

Here's my impression of what happens every time. David goes, can we start the podcast? I go, okay, let me find a quote. And then you go, yes, yes. As if you have not been hosting Blank Check with GRIFFIN David for 11 years.

[David Sims]

11.

[Griffin Newman]

11.

[David Sims]

This is 20 20.

[Griffin Newman]

This is the first episode.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, my God.

[Griffin Newman]

Of our 11th year.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And sometimes you seem so confused and irritated by the mere existence of this show.

[David Sims]

Confused is not the word. But you nailed the second one.

[Griffin Newman]

It is what it is. I don't know what you want out of me.

[David Sims]

Arrive on time.

[Griffin Newman]

Impossible.

[David Sims]

Have a quote ready, and when Ben says we're rolling, do the quote.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Do you think this is why Laura Dern and Will Arnett separated?

[David Sims]

No, they separated because he couldn't see her as anything but a volleyball player.

[Griffin Newman]

I think.

[David Sims]

I think that's what it was.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm just saying. What happened just now was I started the quote and you sighed.

[David Sims]

No, I sighed because we had a funny intro and you nixed it and instead you did this.

[Griffin Newman]

The funny intro was Ben eating a sandwich. Listen, vote if you think that's how you wanted this episod episode.

[David Sims]

I welcome the poll.

[Griffin Newman]

And let me be clear, it was blue wave incoming.

[David Sims]

I'm blue.

[Griffin Newman]

The crunchiest sandwich. Sure was.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He did toast it together.

[David Sims]

This is a movie about stand up comedy, but I don't know how you guys feel. It's not a laugh riot.

[Griffin Newman]

I found it dramatically unfunny.

[David Sims]

Griffin wasn't a huge fan, but I.

[Griffin Newman]

Would say this movie made my skin crawl.

[David Sims]

But even quality wise aside, just not that funny a movie. A few moments, I restate here and there.

[Griffin Newman]

I found it dramatically unfunny. Marie.

[David Sims]

Funny.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Bradley Cooper's funny.

[David Sims]

Sure, sure, sure. Ben off mic. But my guess is you thought it was mildly funny at best.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, not even very funny.

[Griffin Newman]

Every single time. Bradley Cooper's character, who is named Balls.

[David Sims]

He sure is.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He sure is.

[David Sims]

He sure is called Balls.

[Ben Hosley]

Really?

[David Sims]

I mean, that's how he's crazy.

[Griffin Newman]

That's his nickname.

[David Sims]

They do call him Balls.

[Ben Hosley]

Huh?

[Griffin Newman]

Every single time Balls is on screen, I was laughing. And at the screening, I was at the entire audience was laughing. Yes. Every time he was on screen. And the rest of the movie was pin drop silent.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it was a lot of. But. But anyway, so this movie, not that funny. Now we talk for half an hour. Various meeting stuff. Guys debating, debating business, celebrities we should invite on who's on our shit.

[Griffin Newman]

We're trying to book.

[Ben Hosley]

Deciding to make a sandwich.

[David Sims]

No, no, no, no, no. So we're all scheduling. Oh, who should we email? You know, we were burning time. And it's sort of like, okay, we got to start the episode. Ben's like, okay, produces, I would say, a lot. Piece.

[Griffin Newman]

You're missing a piece of this.

[David Sims]

What am I missing?

[Griffin Newman]

You're missing a piece of this.

[David Sims]

Which is.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm eating a wrap.

[David Sims]

Yeah, you're eating.

[Griffin Newman]

Ben goes, I'm rolling. I go, hold on, let me just finish this. Sorry.

[David Sims]

You take a bite, right?

[Griffin Newman]

I digest the bite. I'm ready to start. And I look over and Ben has magically produced.

[David Sims]

It's so big.

[Griffin Newman]

The largest. It's fresh out of the microwave. Steam lines coming off of it.

[David Sims]

It was fresh out of the toaster, and I smelled some burning bread.

[Griffin Newman]

And he takes a bite and it's crunch.

[David Sims]

It's crunch. And I'm like, where did you get that? Why didn't you eat that while we were talking suddenly? Because I wasn't hung, which was funny. It was on my. You'll hear it later.

[Griffin Newman]

Marie's taking a picture of this.

[Ben Hosley]

David, I got it from Caputos.

[Griffin Newman]

You're filming the sandwich.

[Ben Hosley]

Love that great Italian specialty food store in Cobble Hill.

[David Sims]

I love Caputo's Bakery, a classic old school Italian joint.

[Griffin Newman]

Bradley Cooper, one of our great Italian American filmmakers.

[David Sims]

Finish that thought.

[Griffin Newman]

Bradley Cooper, one of the great Italian American filmmakers.

[David Sims]

And. And why do you say that? I mean, his mother is Irish. Italian father's Irish.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

He of course makes a cheesesteak in the East Village sandwich, but it's available to anyone.

[Griffin Newman]

When they opened, he was making them himself.

[David Sims]

Or at least when they were in the food truck. He definitely was.

[Griffin Newman]

When they opened, the physical space, he was in there. And when it was like, they're open one day a week and you got to check the schedule, it was because it was. Bradley was there and he was like, I got two hours. Let me make.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Forgiven you guys, the choppy things. Not inviting me.

[David Sims]

I didn't.

[Griffin Newman]

When you didn't invite me, it was just Bobby Wagner and I. Yeah, I.

[David Sims]

Went with my friend Eric.

[Griffin Newman]

Bobby Swagner.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You still went.

[David Sims]

Okay. Do you want to hang out With Eric. Do you know him?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No. But maybe we'd be friends.

[Ben Hosley]

Honestly.

[David Sims]

You might get along.

[Ben Hosley]

We're going.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

We'll go. Ben and I will go.

[David Sims]

It's honestly kind of better now because you don't have to wait a million hours for it or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

When he was still doing the limited pop up hours, Bobby Wagner and I and our respective partners went to see Better Man.

[David Sims]

Oh yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

A better film than this.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Sure, sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Was playing at the Village Cinema in a screen with a sign outside that said, warning, this movie's about a monkey guy. Heating broken.

[David Sims]

Oh, hell yeah. And Batman came out at the August, right. Sweltering August.

[Griffin Newman]

It was a late December release. We were seeing it the nippiest days of January. We were seeing it the last day of January.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I remember that being the reason why I didn't go to the Bradley Cooper Pop up at the time was like, I'm not going to see stand out in the East Village.

[Griffin Newman]

It was a cold winter in the freezing cold. We saw it.

[David Sims]

There was no good time to release Better Man. But Christmas does not strike me as a great time to have released.

[Griffin Newman]

We saw it at second half for the whole family.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

What are you talking about?

[Ben Hosley]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Very close to Danny Coops, which I was wrong. It's not Danny Myers. It's.

[David Sims]

No, it's not Danny Meyer.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's some other guy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No offense to that man. If he listens to this podcast.

[Griffin Newman]

And we decided, we were like, it, it's really cold, but we're here. Let's. They had advertised they were going to be open today. And we walked over and a guy was like pulling the gate down and he was like. They ran out of breath.

[David Sims]

Danny Giampietro.

[Griffin Newman]

Danny Giampieto, who's like a legit cheesesteak man. Right.

[David Sims]

So they'd run out that first time. But you and Bobby went back.

[Griffin Newman]

So then Bobby and I were like, we gotta go back.

[David Sims]

And you know, I had forged in.

[Griffin Newman]

That moment there was the impulse decision to try to get it post Better man. And there was forged in that moment. You were not left out of anything consciously, Marie. And it was just Bobby.

[David Sims]

And this is Marie Barty Salinas, who is a Philadelphia native that we're speaking to.

[Griffin Newman]

We're going to be out of Salinas episode.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yes, it is. We're going to have a good time.

[Griffin Newman]

We're going to have a great time.

[David Sims]

But I, I'm not, I would. I'm not trying to offend you, but I'm not a huge cheesesteak person generally. Right. I Don't. I think you're kind of not that pumped up.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm. I'm like, you know, I don't love cheez whiz. I'm like, more of a.

[David Sims]

Right. And he.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I want, like, either provolone or this.

[David Sims]

Place has its proprietary cheese, which is very good.

[Griffin Newman]

It's really good.

[David Sims]

This.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a very cheese. That is not cheese whiz. But it doesn't feel like it's some stupid elevated.

[David Sims]

No, exactly.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

That sounds really promising.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a better version of a junky, super soft cheese.

[David Sims]

I went with Eric, and Eric makes fun of me for. Usually I'll only eat half of a giant sandwich like that and keep the other half. Now, I don't think you should make fun of me because I think I'm.

[Griffin Newman]

Just living my life. There are many other reasons to make fun of.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, Ben's going. Is Ben going to get the other half of his giant sandwich?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

All this talk, taking another bite, and.

[David Sims]

I. I ate half the sandwich and I was sitting and I was digesting, and I was like, I'm gonna eat the other half. This isn't making me feel like complete garbage. Like, it's not like a, you know, rock in my stomach, which a cheesesteak can be.

[Griffin Newman]

I had the exact same experience. And knowing me and my tum tum and no weird poops later, I did not have problems.

[David Sims]

And, you know, I had dinner with Bradley Cooper, which we'll talk about on this episode. And I should have told him, no weird.

[Griffin Newman]

Can you just clarify that? Anytime you say a sentence like this, I need you to clarify it.

[David Sims]

I attended one of these award Z where it's like 20 people and three celebrities.

[Griffin Newman]

Occurrences where they'll be like, the cast of this movie invites you to dinner. Sit at a long communal table. I mean, like, with like 15 of your industry colleagues. And then the A lister is at the top of the table.

[David Sims]

I told my husband, in a way.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I was like, David Selena or David Sims talked to Bradley Cooper. They had dinner and they talked about how he goes to every Eagles home game he does. And my husband David was like, wait, David got dinner with Brad?

[David Sims]

It sounds like I texted him and was like, hey, wanna go to like.

[Griffin Newman]

You know, let's get a slice.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And I thought Bronic was there too. It was not a real deal.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you think the whole notion behind. And by the way, Ben Hosley, ultimate professional eating his sandwich in the corner.

[David Sims]

What a great boy.

[Griffin Newman]

He looks great. He's really happy. No crunch on Mike.

[David Sims]

And by the way getting this good.

[Griffin Newman]

Sandwich material you want.

[David Sims]

And this is the first episode of the, of the new year.

[Griffin Newman]

Great entry point.

[David Sims]

Introduced what this show.

[Griffin Newman]

We'll get to it. We'll get to it. Yeah.

[David Sims]

But I actually am lying because Bradley Cooper didn't stay for dinner, which is fine odors. He was there for the drinks, which is the kind of the, you know, the part where there's the mingling.

[Griffin Newman]

So you should have said, I got drinks with Bradley.

[David Sims]

I got a drink with Bradley Cooper.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Famously sober. Correct.

[David Sims]

Yeah, we were both drinking like yuzu sodas or.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay, that's cool. Yeah. He wasn't drinking like a Tom Holland beer.

[David Sims]

Not that I knew. And, and then we sat down to dinner and Will Arnett and Andrew Day were also there people in this movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Arnett also sober.

[David Sims]

Yes, that's right. I mean, look, I wasn't checking everyone's drinks. My finger and being like, I taste alcohol.

[Griffin Newman]

It would have been funny if you showed up with like a breathalyzer like.

[David Sims]

Now wait a second, hold on. Andrew Day, however, gluten free. And we discussed that.

[Griffin Newman]

Interesting. And you did test her.

[David Sims]

And I did, I was, I was like, eat this crouton. She was like, no, I won't do it.

[Griffin Newman]

You had a celiac test in your back.

[David Sims]

And wait. Oh, oh, but right. So we sat down to dinner. Bradley Cooper went, anyway, I have to go, I'm so sorry. And he talked to us for a minute more and then he's like, I have to pick up my daugh from Russian class.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And I was just like, so many questions.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Because her mother is.

[Ben Hosley]

There you go.

[David Sims]

That's, that's the thing I couldn't put together.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

This is what you need me for. Like to know Bradley Cooper's dating history and all of the Victor support.

[David Sims]

Everything I got from Bradley, which included some insights about this movie, mostly insights about Clint Eastwood, which is what I really want.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

But I'll do that later.

[Griffin Newman]

Am I correct in thinking, in remembering that they were never married? That they had a child together and they were together for several years?

[David Sims]

I believe the only person he's ever been married to was Jennifer Esposito for one year.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Famously gluten free.

[Griffin Newman]

Yep. Very, very seriously.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Very seriously.

[David Sims]

Like, post about it a lot.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

She like opened up a bakery in the East Village.

[David Sims]

You know, my wife has celiac.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I know.

[Griffin Newman]

Congrats. Humble brag.

[David Sims]

And so I am very conscious of gluten.

[Griffin Newman]

I, I, I don't want to get the details of the story wrong, which is why I'm going to Proceed to just describe what I remember, probably inaccurately, but she had an issue where I believe she was misdiagnosed for many years where she could tell that something was seriously wrong in her body.

[David Sims]

This often happens, right.

[Griffin Newman]

Doctors misdiagnosed it and it caused. When she was on Blue Bloods and they dropped her from the cast of the show because they said she was difficult to work with and it was like a health condition and there was like a years long lawsuit.

[David Sims]

No. You know, if women complain during a job, they are being difficult. Well, they should be problems. Right, Exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

And by the way, Marie, is there anything you want to say to us?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I feel like at this point we could edit together like a compilation of the Cancel compilation.

[David Sims]

I love that's. It's a joke. God damn it.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I know.

[Griffin Newman]

It's like when JD Says that he wishes he could pull clips from the podcast and make them pull quotes on posters like, this looks like a bowl of farts. David Sims, the Atlantic of all time. Love.

[David Sims]

Jennifer Esposito, who I first discovered on Spin City way back in the day.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Great show. Big, big fan they had.

[David Sims]

Big Spike Lee collaborator. I feel like she's been a bunch.

[Griffin Newman]

Of leads Summer same. She's really good at that movie.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I still haven't seen that.

[David Sims]

I love movie.

[Griffin Newman]

I love Summer of S. I, I.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I kind of have like an Adrien Brody thing where he really greats on.

[David Sims]

Oh, but dude, it's when he was.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, he was like locked.

[David Sims]

Fascinating thing.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Where you were like, who it was pre him being famous.

[Griffin Newman]

Like perfect Brody.

[David Sims]

But we're also. I mean, just try to think of a time when like anytime that guy popped up and he wasn't famous, but you would be like, it's that guy again with the face and the nose. Like, he's so weird.

[Griffin Newman]

Also, Marie, he's playing a Jewish punk.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Who people start to suspect might be the Son of Sam.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

Because they're like, his vibe is so bad.

[David Sims]

Right, right, right.

[Griffin Newman]

It's like perfect casting for him where the whole energy is like, the fuck is going on with you, man? He's great. That movie is very akin to Bringing out the Dead for me.

[David Sims]

Yeah. I love 1999 major New York American master epics. Sorry. Efforts about New York that are very dark.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm like bombed hard at the time. And everyone's like, the fuck are they doing? And I watch them and I'm like this like top tier film.

[David Sims]

My brain is on screen right now.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Very high up. Favorites for me in both of Their.

[David Sims]

Filmographies written by Michael Imperioli.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, Love him because he was supposed to play the Legzama character. And then I think Sopranos happened. Oh, well.

[David Sims]

And Violator made a couple phone calls.

[Griffin Newman]

That's the other thing that happened. He farted into the phone, and Spike Lee said, what am I gonna do? What do you want from me?

[David Sims]

He's violated. Anytime sp. Like, he's in the scesi dock, and they'll just cut to him and he'll be like, thank God for asthma. And you're like, rebecca Miller knows when the audience just needs a little punch in the arm.

[Griffin Newman]

You know, here's the best part. Him saying thank God for asthma and then laughing for 15 consecutions. Doing a full Barty laugh.

[David Sims]

Yeah, he does like a Waluigi laugh now because he kind of, like, crouches and, like, he'll.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, he is kind of a Waluigi.

[David Sims]

Wears a lot of purple.

[Griffin Newman]

He wears a lot of purple. He wears a lot of purple. Did I tell you guys I was walking around this neighborhood, and it was the first time I had seen. This was probably a year ago, if not more the first time I had seen a cybertruck out in the wild.

[David Sims]

Okay?

[Griffin Newman]

God fucking damn it. Cybertruck?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Was he driving it?

[David Sims]

No, Waluigi was.

[Griffin Newman]

Someone's driving a cybertruck in Brooklyn. Who the fuck is this asshole? And I look as the car turns the corner, and I am 95% sure a a sort of, like, sinking in his chair. Spike Lee was shotgun.

[David Sims]

Oh, shotgun. Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

He wasn't driving. It didn't seem to be his car.

[David Sims]

So maybe someone was like, hey, I'll come pick you up.

[Griffin Newman]

But almost as if he was, like, embarrassed. Like, I don't want anyone to see that it's me, all right?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm gonna. I'm gonna put something out here, and I want to see if you guys agree with me, okay? I don't think Spike Lee can drive.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't think so either. And that probably explains why I like his filmography so much, right?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Are you Googling Ken Spike Lee drive?

[David Sims]

I am. Although I don't know why I thought that would work out for me.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm sure he can drive like a Big Wheel. I could see him on a Big Wheel. Bobby's World style.

[David Sims]

Now we're making Spike Lee into an increasingly sort of gnomish, magical figure.

[Griffin Newman]

He's Waluigi. He's Bobby from Bobby's World.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Spike Lee dry.

[David Sims]

I didn't get an answer, and I. I don't know, I mean, he's a New York City guy, so he doesn't have to dry.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He did an Escalade commercial that doesn't.

[David Sims]

He'll do commercials about anything. Yeah, God bless him. What's the podcast?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

His production company was ticketed for doing illegal parking in front of the office.

[David Sims]

Yeah, sure.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But unclear.

[Griffin Newman]

No, just. Just to close the loop on this, Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Esposito were married for 15 minutes.

[David Sims]

Yeah, they were. Very briefly.

[Griffin Newman]

And it is one of the most bizarre kind of unexplained divorce situations ever. They were dating for many, many years and then they got divorced like one week after they got married.

[David Sims]

Married. I mean, technically, obviously six months or whatever. But I think they've said like we realized immediately it was not a good idea.

[Griffin Newman]

I am not saying that Bradley Cooper doesn't have the right to make this movie. I just thought it was interesting to bring in like his own history with divorce for a guy who's had a lot of high profile relationships. Today we are talking about his new film because this is Blank Check with Griffin and David. I'm Griffin.

[David Sims]

I'm David.

[Griffin Newman]

And there's a smiling producer sitting across from me, his belly full, the look of satisfaction on his chicken parm. Chicken parm taken down.

[Ben Hosley]

It's Benjamin Crunch. Crunch.

[Griffin Newman]

It's Krant. Krant Hasley. And as already mentioned, Marie Barty. Salinas party. Salinas.

[David Sims]

Philadelphia zone.

[Griffin Newman]

Philadelphia zone.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Philadelphia zone.

[David Sims]

Fly, eagles, fly. What do they, what do they say?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Go birds.

[David Sims]

Go birds.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And also like wood race. E, A, G, L E S. Eagles.

[David Sims]

Yeah. No, Bradley Cooper told me I'm going to just drop in all the things that Bradley Cooper told me which have remained in my brain like locked in the vault, to be clear. Okay, so these stupid dinner invite things only come in at awards season, obviously. And just because I'm an awards voter, I get invited to them.

[Griffin Newman]

It would be funny if in April they were like, hey, Marcus Scorsese just wants to be free for dinner sometime this week.

[David Sims]

Well, I've heard of. There's a couple people who do stuff like that, but that's not publicist. That's like, that's filmmakers who just write like some.

[Griffin Newman]

It.

[David Sims]

Yeah, they like to sort of mix.

[Griffin Newman]

It like the character actor dinners or whatever.

[David Sims]

Yeah. And it's, I feel like that's also. That is kind of the old school thing that like Pauline Kael used to do where like, you know, they were really mingly back then, the critics and the filmmakers, you know, Kalen Altman and all that. That.

[Griffin Newman]

But Ebert and Scorsese.

[David Sims]

Yeah. And the, the, you know, Corliss. That was a big guy with Scorsese. Richard Corliss.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Anyway, these dinners come in and yes, I rarely go because I don't. I have kids and I can't do evenings.

[Griffin Newman]

You have kids?

[David Sims]

I do.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

But that night I had to introduce Kiss Kiss Bang Bang at the Nighthawk. And I was like, I'm actually not going to go home tonight. And this dinner is bizarrely, at 5 o', clock probably to fit Bradley Cooper's Russian lessons. And so I was like, I think I'm gonna take the meal. Even though I was mixed on the movie. I do like Bradley Cooper and Will Arnett, you know, I've liked him.

[Griffin Newman]

We've loved so much of his work. Yes.

[David Sims]

And Andra Day. Hey, she's great, I guess.

[Griffin Newman]

Absolutely. Has an Oscar nomination.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Can you talk to Will Arnett about being.

[David Sims]

She's really nice.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

What's it like being a famous podcaster?

[David Sims]

Did not talk to Will Arnett really much at all, except sort of like in. Well, when I walked in the door, I was one of the first people there and Will Arnett and Bradley Cooper were standing there.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And I was like, hi, I'm David. And they're like, hi. And I was like, do I. What do I do with my coat? And Will was like, I'll take your coat. Like, like was doing a bit like. Which I thought was funny.

[Griffin Newman]

He took.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah, I'm doing the coats. I'm doing the coats. You know, that was funny.

[Griffin Newman]

I handed him the coat and then he went, is this thing off that.

[David Sims]

He should have done it.

[Griffin Newman]

He had taken the coat off.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

That sounded like a Nicholson.

[Griffin Newman]

It's tough.

[David Sims]

He's this thing.

[Griffin Newman]

Is this thing.

[David Sims]

You know what I just watched because I have the. What is it? Vinegar syndrome. Sort of fancy brands. Cinematography or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

Cinematograph.

[David Sims]

There you go. They're going south.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, I've never seen that.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I just know, like the picture of Jack Nicholson being like, yeah, looking pretty, Jack.

[David Sims]

A retro. I will do one day when I open the Sims Cinema or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

The Sims cinema?

[David Sims]

Westerns. Horny Western.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay. What else is in horny Western?

[David Sims]

I don't know, but I'm gonna have to. After watching that, I was like, right. Jack was like, can we make the Western horny? Like, there's gotta be others.

[Griffin Newman]

Let me just close the loop here. And then I want to hear about fucking Bradley.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Can I close a loop before?

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Sorry. I just found an article about celebrities who own cybertrucks.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Film director Spike Lee took to Instagram in December 2023 to show off his brand new cyber truck. Quote, I put my reservation in two years ago. Lee wrote in the caption, so he owns the cybertruck.

[David Sims]

Whether or not he drives, it still doesn't.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Still doesn't answer the question if he drives or not. But he does own a cybertruck.

[Griffin Newman]

It had that vibe. It had that vibe. This is a podcast about filmographies, directors who have massive success early on in their careers and are given a series of blank checks to make whatever crazy passion projects they want. And sometimes those checks clear and sometimes they bounce, baby. We almost exclusively do miniseries on directors. Some people, especially more recent viewers, might be going, why the is this an episode? What is happening here? In the earlier days of the show, we would look for opportunities of new release movies where we'd be like, ah, let's do an episode on that.

[David Sims]

I think with his star is born. It was also just the hype around that.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It was like a watershed moment.

[David Sims]

Right. And it was this kind of like insta blank check. And we were like, well, let's fucking do a stars born. And then he has kind of, you know, continued to build out a filmography. So he's right.

[Griffin Newman]

I remember that being the last year where Ben would actually have us look at the calendar and go, is there anything worth building an episode around? And we both were like, this kind of feels like it. And especially after you had seen it at tiff, it was like, this is a moment experiences. And if we get it on the ground floor of this, it is going to be interesting to keep tracking what's going on in his career, which I can tell is still the case, even though I don't like this film at all. So this has been, in our sense, series on Bradley Cooper happening in real time.

[David Sims]

Yeah. That whenever he makes a movie, we'll be there, including. Is this thing on?

[Griffin Newman]

Is this, Is this thing.

[Ben Hosley]

Wait a second.

[Griffin Newman]

Lego Batman? I'm trying to find it.

[David Sims]

Did you turn this on?

[Griffin Newman]

This is kind of a weird Lego Batman sequel. I know they struggled a lot in development to figure out the hook for the second one, but I feel like they really dropped most of what I liked about the first one.

[David Sims]

The only thing we did in 2019 that was a standalone was Joker. Well, yes, we did do Joker, but.

[Griffin Newman]

We had, of course done DC movies and Cats.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, we did the Lion King Cats trailer episode.

[David Sims]

The other thing we did was we. We solved some. Solved some murders. We solved some crimes.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, Detective Pikachu.

[David Sims]

Detective. Pikachu Detective.

[Griffin Newman]

It was sort of an all format episode for us.

[David Sims]

It was. But I would like there to be a sequel to that.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I really enjoyed Detective.

[David Sims]

I mean, shot in film.

[Griffin Newman]

It was fully announced. Do you remember they said Jonathan Kressel was going to direct. Direct.

[David Sims]

Kind of. Yeah, kneecapped it. And they're now. They're just sort of figuring out what to do with Pokemon.

[Griffin Newman]

There are a lot of sequels like that that were in active development. And then Covid basically adding an extra two years of like pause made them go like, did we miss the moment? You know, like there's an altered timeline in which they film that movie in 2020 or 2021, and it comes out in 21 or 22. And by the time they could have started having that conversation in 21, they were like, well, we're gonna have this come out in 23. It just felt like, yeah, you know.

[David Sims]

What else is coming out in 2026 this year, by the way? Because we're gonna cover some new films this year, obviously from people who we've covered.

[Griffin Newman]

Sam Raimi, New Sam Raimi picture. Fucking. Yeah.

[David Sims]

We'll cover Sam Raimi's. Send help. We're gonna obviously cover Steven Spielberg's Untitled Alien movie. We're gonna cover the Odyssey.

[Griffin Newman]

I hear it's called Alt Aliens. That's a joke about people getting mad at us. Go on.

[David Sims]

We're going to cover M. Night Shyamalan's Remain and we're going to cover Danny Boyle's Inc. Which is coming out this year.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Wait, really?

[David Sims]

Yes, the movie about Rupert Murdoch.

[Griffin Newman]

But he's getting out that fast?

[David Sims]

I think so. They shot it in October. Like there's no way. It's not going to be like a fall festival movie. And I liked that play. Yeah, well, it's on the sketch because it's never release date.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. Well, there's like the side column of Undated.

[David Sims]

And of course, we'll cover Horizon Part 2, An American Saga. I'm sure that's coming. I mean, that's one of those. Just it's coin flip. Either we'll never see it or tomorrow it's coming out.

[Griffin Newman]

Look, may its memory be a blessing. It lives in my head. I watch it every night before I fall asleep.

[Ben Hosley]

Now, may I ask, if it's only released to streaming, how will we do it?

[David Sims]

Yeah, we might.

[Griffin Newman]

We might.

[David Sims]

No question put it on Patreon. But we'll do it. If it.

[Griffin Newman]

If it comes out in any way, it is going mainframe. I think it has I would agree.

[David Sims]

I mean, I would agree. Yeah, but. And I hope, I hope we live in hope that some Qatari prince will furnish Kevin Costner with whatever millions he needs to, to get that accomplished.

[Griffin Newman]

And I say this without.

[David Sims]

He's in Qatar right now.

[Griffin Newman]

I say this without revealing any privileged information. The vibe I keep getting of why this thing is bottlenecked is anytime anyone offers money to buy the film away from Warner Brothers, he's like, can't we put that money into part three? That his priority, anytime money is made available to him, even as a notion, is, what about three, four, and five? And they're like, Kevin, can we five get two?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I thought there are only four.

[David Sims]

Well, he started being like, I got, I've got some five ideas.

[Griffin Newman]

This is what's incredible. He absolutely is like, right now I'm really excited about this five idea I just had. And people are like, get two out.

[David Sims]

Well, you say people are like, it's, it's, it's a handful of people that.

[Griffin Newman]

Three lawsuits.

[David Sims]

I know, but it's just one of those things where it's like, there's no mob storming any Warner Brothers. Gates being like, so.

[Griffin Newman]

No, the people I'm speaking of are the people who invested into the people who worked on two. I'm not saying the public is demanding it as much as everyone surrounding him directly.

[David Sims]

So the people who invested in Kevin Costner's two part epic saga about the American West, I say thank you and I salute you.

[Griffin Newman]

And I'm looking for the list of his primary investors.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It was just himself, right?

[Griffin Newman]

It wasn't just himself. Had some. He put up a tremendous amount of money, but it was not just him.

[David Sims]

He also. Taylor Sheridan just checked his wallet and it's empty. Oh, boy, Costner's running away. We're here to talk about. Is this thing on, which is Bradley Cooper's third film as a director? Yeah, I don't know how many movies he's done as an actor. I could count if you want.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, give a quick count, cuz I'm going to. Just quickly, since this is. And this is just how the podcast works, we're 11 years in. This is technically our final episode in our Bradley Cooper miniseries for now, unless.

[David Sims]

He makes something else, which I believe he's.

[Griffin Newman]

So let me just do a quick ranking of Bradley Cooper films. Number one, Maestro with a bullet. Number two, A star is Born. Number three, the Cheesesteak. Space, space, space, space, space, space. Number four, Is this thing a movie? I really did not.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So just Griffin didn't like to table set for everyone.

[David Sims]

No, please. Oh, I am excited for David is licking his lips.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So David saw this film independent.

[David Sims]

I saw it at the New York Film Festival where it premiered.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

David saw it before us. And the three of us, Ben Griffin and myself were supposed to go to a press screening and kindly offered to.

[Griffin Newman]

Us by the folks at Fox Searchlight. Yes.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And it was packed.

[David Sims]

People wanted to know on, off.

[Griffin Newman]

There was attention to know. There was a tension in the city. People were getting really antsy.

[David Sims]

Right. People are. I was like, are you voting for Zoran? And they're like, I don't care. I just wanna know, is this thing on?

[Griffin Newman]

Has anyone seen the sw. What position was it in?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I mean, I haven't been to as many press screenings as you have, David.

[David Sims]

I have certainly been to them.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I've been to a lot of them. But to me this was like the most surprise. This is the first press screening I've ever been to where they didn't have enough seats.

[David Sims]

I do think what you experience is a little rare. I also think they probably just. Right, they should have scheduled more screenings. So I think they eventually.

[Griffin Newman]

And this was not at a movie theater. This was at a private screening room.

[David Sims]

500, which is a small room. And. But you know, there's a real dearth of screening rooms in New York City these days, I think. And like come awards season, I am not a publicist. I don't have to deal with this. I think it becomes this nightmare jigsaw of like everywhere is booked, like all fucking day, you know, from October to June or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

I was running late and they hit capacity like 10 minutes before the movie started. Yes. So you basically were like, there's no way you're getting in here.

[Ben Hosley]

And they weren't letting you hold stuff.

[Griffin Newman]

Seats. No, no.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So Ben and I didn't sit next.

[David Sims]

To each other like the seller.

[Griffin Newman]

A little bit like the seller.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

A little bit like the seller.

[Griffin Newman]

And really high cover charge. They made Marie get chicken tenders.

[David Sims]

It's a four drink minimum, ma'. Am. And Cokes cost $18. How much is like a Diet Coke at the Comedy Zone?

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, my God.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But yeah, Griffin didn't. Griffin missed the movie.

[Griffin Newman]

I saw it at the same screen about 10 weeks. 10 weeks? 10 days, 2 weeks.

[David Sims]

Good bathrooms there. Big mirror so you can really see everything that's happening.

[Griffin Newman]

I love the bathroom. And in fact, maybe I'll ra the shit I took in that bathroom above this movie, you know?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Okay, but just, just, just to put.

[David Sims]

It out there, I've taken Some shits at the 500 park bathroom.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

David saw the movie first and you were like, yeah, it's smaller, but it's fine.

[David Sims]

I was sort of like, it's fine.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's whatever.

[David Sims]

Mixed some moments, which is where I am.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Ben and I, we get out of the movie and we're like, it's kind of a nut. We shrugged. We're like, eh, eh, eh, you know? And I'm like.

[David Sims]

Which seems to be the somewhat general critical. I know a couple people who are. Katie Rich, a huge fan of this movie.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You hate this.

[Griffin Newman]

Let me just take a step back here, right. They announced this movie.

[Ben Hosley]

Keep on the mic.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, okay.

[David Sims]

Take a step back but bring the mic with you.

[Griffin Newman]

Hello.

[David Sims]

And Ben, do you have a second sandwich you want to eat right now?

[Ben Hosley]

Unfortunately, no. But I do have dessert. Tisu.

[David Sims]

No, I'm joking.

[Griffin Newman]

And Ben, do you want to.

[David Sims]

That's too soft. You would need a crunchy treat. Rice Krispie treat.

[Griffin Newman]

Kind of bland but funny. Ben, do you want to tell everyone what you've googled and look up on your screen? I. From the positioning of her desk, you.

[David Sims]

Can see what Ben's googling and sometimes.

[Griffin Newman]

I just see what Ben has silently pulled up on his computer screen and it makes me happy.

[Ben Hosley]

I was just trying to find an answer to your question. How much does.

[David Sims]

Oh, what's the menu at the comedy.

[Griffin Newman]

He's got the menu. He's got the full menu PDF on it.

[Ben Hosley]

They don't have listed soft drinks, but I'm actually kind of surprised. Reasonable ish pricing. Like for example, a Bud Light $5.

[David Sims]

That is pretty reasonable.

[Griffin Newman]

Not bad at all.

[Ben Hosley]

So, okay, shout out.

[David Sims]

So you know, and I will say the seller is a totally fun one place to go. I'm not trying to diss the seller.

[Griffin Newman]

No, yeah, no, none of, none of this. These movies sins are not on the comedy seller. I would say it has some insane representation of the comedy seller.

[Ben Hosley]

Well, what do you mean, Griffin? When we were coming up in comedy, we would always go to the open mics at the Comedy Cellar.

[Griffin Newman]

What was the only way to avoid having to spend 15 to drink at a bar above the comedy seller with no view of the stage?

[Ben Hosley]

Of course.

[Griffin Newman]

That's just what you do. You, you listen. Let me step back. They announced this movie. Yeah. This movie, as it proudly proclaims in its end credits, is based on a true story.

[David Sims]

It is. I can, I can speak to this.

[Griffin Newman]

It's some real Britney runs a marathon.

[David Sims]

Shit a little bit. But I would say it does not do the Britney Runs a marathon thing. It is ostensibly based on the life story of John Bishop, but as Bradley put it to me, because I was talking to him about, like, adapting. We were talking about Jeremy Strong because he had just done a Q and A with Jeremy Strong for the. Though at this point in January, well remembered. Springsteen delivered me from. Or to nowhere.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

From evil.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I did. I did typo twice in the same day. Deliver her. Deliver me from evil.

[David Sims]

And I told him, like, oh, I just interviewed Jeremy Strong. We talked about playing real people, yada, yada, yada. And I was like, this must have been interesting with, like, you know, you got the real person. And he's like, oh, no. And I was like, no. And he was like, I. I took two things that he'd become the standup in that way where he put his name down for fun, and then he.

[Griffin Newman]

Gets back together with his wife's wife.

[David Sims]

No, no, no, no, no. Just that. That his wife was then at a show, like, he was like, those are the only two things about that that interested me.

[Griffin Newman]

But in real life, the guy's name.

[David Sims]

Is John Bishop, I believe. Yes, he reunited with his wife, but he's like, but the marriage in this is not based on the marriage or anything like that. He's just like. There were just two plot points. I liked the initial thing and then the twist of like. And then when he's finally finding his feet and at the comedy show one day, his wife is there. Yeah, that was it.

[Griffin Newman]

This film is announced. It's announced kind of quietly as quietly. Bradley Cooper's working on a new thing. It's.

[David Sims]

He's noodling around.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a script by Will Arnett. Will Arnett would star in it. And it's maybe something about the comedy scene. And then at comes out. Oh, it's based on John Bishop. And people are like, what does that mean?

[David Sims]

Right? But it's also like, you start hearing, like, he's in New York and, like, because he lives in New York, but.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He'S testing out material, right?

[David Sims]

They're shooting stuff. And maybe, like, comedians are involved.

[Griffin Newman]

What's going on? Comedy subreddits are going like, I saw will Arnett do 10 mediocre minutes last night. Right? And then people are like.

[David Sims]

And you're like, but it's Willard. Like, he could be funny, but it's like, but no, he's doing this, like, stilted thing.

[Griffin Newman]

But then people are also like, I keep seeing Bradley Cooper at the audience at the Cellar or like, five Real comedians last night, but Bradley Cooper was Just standing in the back with like a 16 millimeter camera. Right. Like, there was just this sort of like, something's happening here. We all are a little befuddled by this announcement. We're like, this is kind of a weird swing. We know that he is very good friends with Will Arnett.

[David Sims]

They live together, which I did not know until he told me at this dinner that they lived together in Venice. And it took me, I would say six to 12 days to clock that he meant Venice, California. I was like, why did you four struggling actors to Italy?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

That actually sounds kind of cool.

[David Sims]

Yeah. What's that? But then I realized he met cow he met.

[Griffin Newman]

When was this?

[David Sims]

My guess is like the 90s. Like, because, you know, like, when is. Our net's already like. I mean, alias is 2001, which is.

[Griffin Newman]

It's.

[David Sims]

It's got to be Bradley Cooper's big break.

[Griffin Newman]

I believe he meets Arnett because of doing Wet Hot, his first movie with Amy Poehler, which is like.

[David Sims]

Right. I don't know when exactly they lived together, but it was certainly when they were both struggling.

[Griffin Newman]

Nobody did what hot come out in 2000 or 2001.

[David Sims]

2001. It's a famous 9, 11, failure.

[Griffin Newman]

So then it's shot in 2000. He gets wet hot, like a week after he graduates from the Actor Studio program. So I think he's there like 96 or 97 to 2000. Right.

[David Sims]

And they're. They're right. They're in LA. As the century turns, the millennium approaches.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

You know, the Y2K bug. Everything okay with that?

[Ben Hosley]

Everything worked out great.

[Griffin Newman]

And. And perhaps I'm wrong about this. And there was some other reason they had met before.

[Ben Hosley]

They.

[David Sims]

Bradley has said they knew each other in New York, but that he was kind of intimidated by Will Arnett.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Because Will Arnett, I can confirm, and I think you guys know, is kind of big.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

He's like this tall, kind of broad guy, which is funny because I guess I just associate him with like playing a loser.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

But like in the rest of development.

[Griffin Newman]

But he is kind of. By having this kind of light, soft voice, this very tender kind of, hey, how you doing?

[David Sims]

I'll take your coat. So he kind of talks about Will. Like, we were all intimidated by Will, but then I guess they lived together and whatever, had a good time.

[Griffin Newman]

Things I know for a fact. Right. He does this acting program. He loves comedy. He gets wet hot off a straight audition. He's not in that scene. But he's always been kind of intimidated by New York comedy. People and loved comedy and felt like I'm too much a serious actor. That's like a straight audition. He is discovered, he gets that part. He becomes friends with all those people. He was one of these guys much like Jon Hamm in the LA comedy scene, where in the years where he's just kind of a working actor, it'd be like, do you know who's actually really funny?

[David Sims]

Right. They all know him. He hangs out and they're like, yeah, right.

[Griffin Newman]

He's actually really fun money. But he becomes very close with Will Arnett this period of time. The big thing he always cites is that Will Arnett is like one of the first people who helped him get clean. That in the early 2000s he had a big coke issue and that he was being very abrasive with people in social settings. And Will Arnett pulled him aside one night and said like, you know, everyone thinks you're an asshole, right? Like I get that you think you're being funny and that you don't know because the drugs are like giving you this confidence and that you think you're being this like awesome, kind of like shit talking, badass guy. But like everyone is like really, really fucking annoyed with you, right? And then I think as these two guys have had their respective substance issues ups and downs over the years.

[David Sims]

I think alcohol his big thing both to sobriety.

[Griffin Newman]

But I know he had a prescription pill thing that Flaked was sort of about.

[David Sims]

I thought Flaked was about alcoholism. But yeah, I don't know, maybe he had after that.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't know. I know there's also been. They've had journeys over 25 years of friendship and their friendship has very much been forged in them sort of I. I think to some degree being accountability buddies and what have you on top of everything else.

[David Sims]

100%. And Bradley put it. Bradley, my friend Bradley.

[Griffin Newman]

Your friend Brad B Rad. Yeah, I call him B Rad Coops.

[David Sims]

B Rad Coops. Bas very much said like I made this, this mo. Like he was like, I'm very lucky that I'm successful and I make movies and I get to make movies. And I really this movie for Will, like it's just like give him the star vehicle to. He didn't say this part, but it's clear, you know, to adapt his screenplay. There was that by me doing something.

[Griffin Newman]

For Will, not it being perhaps a straight favorite movie, but this is a movie I'm doing because I love my buddies.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But it's interesting usage of a blank check.

[David Sims]

I agree. I Also detect more than a hint of another Bradley Cooper collaborator in this film.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Todd Phillips.

[David Sims]

Cameron Crowe, like, so obviously to me and like, this movie is so forgot about Aloha.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm like, what do you mean? I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

[Griffin Newman]

I've rewatched it in the last year.

[Ben Hosley]

Where's David pointing, everyone?

[Griffin Newman]

The sky.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

The sky.

[Griffin Newman]

I regret to inform you that I have fully come around to aloha being good.

[David Sims]

I 1 know that and 2am happy to hear it.

[Griffin Newman]

I've just been digging in deeper and I gave Elizabeth Town another watch recently. Right.

[David Sims]

And you were like, here was my experience.

[Griffin Newman]

Still. Still hot first half of it. And a lot of this is. And this is why I really wanted to like this movie. Putting pressure on it as much as I'm like, this is a weird choice for Bradley. Do I want him spending his time as a director kind of servicing Will Arnett, who I like at times, but.

[David Sims]

I'm making Will sound like an old gelat.

[Griffin Newman]

Just kind of rolling under.

[David Sims]

I mean, he made this quickly, so I certainly don't mind. But yes, I know what you're saying.

[Griffin Newman]

But I'm like, especially because we kind of call our shot with him. Right. And we're just like, here's a guy who seems to be looking like developing a career as a filmmaker with intentionality. Right. And I'm on the record loving Maestro. I feel like the three of you like it with more qualifications, whereas I'm.

[David Sims]

A huge fan of. I love Maestro, and I think it's like one of the most underrated movies of the last five years.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. And I. I get why people bump on it. It is like a very bizarre film and it's like a huge swing movie. Yeah. And this movie, to me feels like a reaction to some of the guff he got from Maestro in a way that bums me out.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Well, it feel. It feels to me like his first two films are the work of a. Of a filmmaker. Filmmaker, not an actor. Filmmaker. And this to me feels like one of those, like, Tribeca movies that an actor does a one off, you know, and it goes Tribeca movie.

[David Sims]

Back when Tribeca had a little more juice led to. But yes, I think. But I mean, to me that's fine. I'm like, you know what? Take your foot off the gas a little bit. Maestro is a very hard act to follow. And you don't want to do the next mind movie will be about Alexander the Great. You know, you don't want to keep escalating.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, he had to reset at some point. And I think it's. It's nice to have variety. Like every great filmography has big and little movies.

[David Sims]

And he's a New York guy, as he told me. And then I was like, yeah, because Hollywood sucks, right? And he's like, no, no, no, I don't feel that way. And I was like, like, no, not. Not in a way where I was like, I'm mad that he thinks it, but I was just like, oh, I failed to bond with Bradley for. In this moment.

[Griffin Newman]

But you were like, and you love the mats, right? And he was like more of a Yankees guy.

[David Sims]

No, no, he's. He's a Phillies fan. We talked.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm joking. Just about you, but yeah, I love the Mets.

[David Sims]

Let's go Mets. And I hope by this point we have resigned Edwin Diaz resigned Pete Alonzo. And if we haven't, I'll cry.

[Griffin Newman]

Look, if we were covering Bradley Cooper as a filmmaker 10 years after. Right, right. And we're just like, that's weird. We have to do it. Is this thing on episode? I maybe be less frustrating. Sure, maybe.

[David Sims]

If you know what, like, his eight films are. His 12 films are.

[Griffin Newman]

But I. I finish this point. I. I give Elizabethtown a rewatch because my. I realize my girlfriend has never seen. I made some reference to it. And I'm like, let's watch Elizabethtown. And I watch it in the first half of the it. I'm like, God, in the nine years now, 10 since we've covered this movie, we have been living in such a dearth of not just Cameron Crowe, but of anyone even attempting to really do the Cameron Crow thing.

[David Sims]

I think, I do think right there was. His vibe became kind of radioactive in a way. Elizabeth Town, of course, being the ultimate manic pixie dream movie and all that.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, yeah. I just. It felt like everyone got scared off of everything like that.

[David Sims]

And there was even no one even buy zoos anymore.

[Griffin Newman]

No one buys Zeus. No one buys zoos.

[David Sims]

I'm going to Google if there are any zoos for sale.

[Griffin Newman]

This is the thing. No one's having kids and no one's buying zoos. And this is why our economy is failing.

[David Sims]

We used to have hope and cash and bacons and zoos.

[Griffin Newman]

11 years.

[David Sims]

David, I'm all for it.

[Griffin Newman]

I love you.

[David Sims]

I love you very much.

[Griffin Newman]

Marie, I love you.

[David Sims]

Love you too.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I love you guys.

[Griffin Newman]

Ben, I love you.

[David Sims]

You, Ben, I love you. And I love chicken parmesan. Who doesn't?

[Griffin Newman]

Can we make a promise to our listeners? We're not getting divorced no, the four of us are not getting divorced in our four way marriage. Absolutely. The first half of Elizabeth Town, I was like, God, Orlando Bloom is even worse in this than I remember. I truly, like, was I being too mean? No. This is like one of the most disastrous movie star tests I have ever seen. It is. And yet everything around him in the movie was suddenly working for me. And even in some, like, long tail, like, nostalgia way, I was like kind of loving peak dunst, manic pixie, dream girl of like, right? This is like, fucking.

[David Sims]

She's a wonderful, charming actress.

[Griffin Newman]

And this is ground zero of the whole thing. The purest version, the most extreme thing. And I was like, I was way too down on this movie. And then like the halfway point, it like, amps the crow up to like 11, right? And I was like, this movie has broken me.

[David Sims]

It's. It's. It's not a movie.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, there was certainly, like, more stuff in it I liked than I remembered. And I think that is more representative of being like, we kind of kicked this whole thing out of the bloodstream of Hollywood, out of. Of the movie culture.

[David Sims]

This movie has some Cameron Crow energy.

[Griffin Newman]

I want to. I mean, this is where I was starting to get excited.

[David Sims]

There are moments in this movie that I really liked. Such as? I think the best moment in the movie, the Amazing Grace scene where I'm like, I love this. And this is Cameron Crow defying.

[Griffin Newman]

Why am I already forgetting what this is?

[David Sims]

Dude, There is a scene in the MOV where I was suddenly like. It's one of those scenes where I was like, I'm chasing.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

They're setting up breakfast, and it's just completely out of nowhere. And they just all feels like Bradley.

[David Sims]

Cooper being like, I just have an idea. I just want to do something to demonstrate how you guys used to be in sync as, like, friends and stuff and aren't really anymore, but you still unconsciously have it. I'm Chaz Palminter in the Usual Suspects in that moment, dropping the coffee cup, being like, am I gonna have to love this movie? And then it's back to like, I just. You weren't just a volleyball player. And I'm like, oh, I don't care.

[Griffin Newman]

I see. First of all, I blocked that scene from my memory. Second of all, I had the opposite response, which I was like, this is some second half of Elizabethtown shit.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, no, I didn't have that because it didn't have any. Like, I just felt like it was. It had no reason to really exist. So I was like, I'm interested. Like, this is like a decision that I'm interested in.

[Griffin Newman]

This is part of the weird camera crow thing. Right. And obviously it like ends up biting him. But old.

[David Sims]

Old Double C. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

But he would do these scenes where you'd go like, how the fuck 100% do you have the courage to put that in a movie? How dare you.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Where he'd break through.

[David Sims]

How very dare you.

[Griffin Newman]

Or he would do some like, incredibly like a statically emotional expression of an idea, you know, like tiny dancer.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Is that what kind of the aesthetic?

[David Sims]

That's a great example of it. Totally working.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And you're just like, Jesus fucking Christ. And I think in rewatching the lesser crows, as I've been doing lately, I have more affection for those moments even when they don't work, because I think there's still, even when it's not consistent, the balance of him being able to identify these incredibly precise, incredibly small moments of humanity and human connection. Right, Right.

[David Sims]

I want to shout out my friend Colin, Colin of the Can I Kick It? Podcast, who also was speaking to the crow thing. We were texting about him.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. And I think in the later half of his filmography, it perhaps becomes imbalanced with Double C, where he's doing too much of the I can't believe shit and less of the well observed human relationships shit.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And I felt like the human relationship relationship in this movie, which is like 95 of it, you know, I mean, people were like, oh, is it like really all about stand up? And I was like, I'd say it's like 30% a comedy movie, 70% a divorce movie.

[David Sims]

Absolutely.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

If not marriage movie. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And the other question I got from a lot of friends when I was telling them how much I hated this was like, oh, is it one of those movies that annoyed you? Because it's a movie about comedy that gets all of comedy wrong. And I was like, I do think that's a sin in. And I can go off and nitpick some of these things, but they're not my primary concern. Sure.

[David Sims]

And any movie about anything will annoy an expert.

[Griffin Newman]

My primary concern is it feels like it's a movie about divorce that doesn't understand people.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Well, that was. That was one of my issues with it. I don't. I don't really understand. We get put in media res into that huge problem divorce. We don't. I know that he works in finance and she like. But like, again, completely not saying the.

[David Sims]

Problem with the movie.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Completely non descript. We don't know why they split up. We don't really know anything about them. Gradually. Like, I still don't understand why they split up.

[David Sims]

Because. Because you only saw me as a volleyball player. This is my whole problem with the movie.

[Griffin Newman]

The entire relationship is horribly rendered. Well, the history of it, the present of it, what we're working towards. It feels very non specific to me. And it feels like a collection of like screenwriter, like, I don't know what's like an interesting thing that was like her past career Olympic volleyball player.

[David Sims]

I don't know how they got there. I mean, it's fine that they did, but I don't really know how they got to volleyball player. I, I the movie is depicting, I think, in a way, kind of just a chiller divorce. By and large. They are not fighting over the kids. They are not fighting over money.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No one cheated.

[David Sims]

No one cheated. No one's being acrimonious.

[Griffin Newman]

Just all the energy and the passion just kind of dissipated slow.

[David Sims]

And that's an interesting thing to make a movie about, but it's a hard thing to make a movie about.

[Griffin Newman]

And it requires like, in my opinion, incredible perception and location of like, specificity.

[David Sims]

Well, volleyball she played.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I do think that's good casting.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Laura Dern as an ex volleyball Olympian. She's so tall and blonde.

[David Sims]

I'm not mad at Laura Dern.

[Griffin Newman]

If you pitch this movie to me as.

[David Sims]

And she gave my car what? I'm joking, I'm joking. I'm just imagining a reason to be mad at Laura Dern.

[Griffin Newman]

Is that a movie reference? Does she like, do that in Blue Velvet?

[David Sims]

Yeah, probably.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I just want to point out before I forget to bring it up later, absolutely insane. Like, post screening Q and A. Laura Dern talking about how working with Bradley Cooper on this film where he's directing, he's operating the camera.

[Griffin Newman]

He was the B camera operator.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And she's like. It was like the creative partnership I've had since David lynch that felt the most similar to working with David Lynch.

[David Sims]

And I was like, how many? She's like, Laura. I'm just trying to think of how many directors are dead in a ditch hearing that. Like Bombach, Steven Spielberg. He's probably feeling fine. He's like, who cares? I've worked with every.

[Griffin Newman]

But yeah, Bombach won her an Oscar.

[David Sims]

Yeah, right. Like, who else would be mad hearing about that? Well, Trevorrow, the locusts.

[Griffin Newman]

He really helped locate that character.

[David Sims]

Throwing locusts at her.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. Licks her finger. Feels like there are a lot of.

[David Sims]

Big locusts in the Air Rian Johnson. He was like, hyperdrive. Now you go to hyperdrive.

[Griffin Newman]

He gave her a maneuver. No director had ever given her a maneuver before.

[Ben Hosley]

Buldo.

[Griffin Newman]

No. If this movie was like, Bradley Cooper has decided to make a film about Laura Dern in middle age. A former Olympic volleyball player trying to figure out her next move after divorce, I'd be like, there is no way you can convince me I won't eat that shit off.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah. I thought she was a way more interesting character than Will Arnett.

[Griffin Newman]

And if she gets.

[David Sims]

She gets a fair amount of time in the movie. She gets. It's not like the movie blarps her.

[Griffin Newman]

No, it doesn't blarp her.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

We do get some of.

[David Sims]

I mean, Blarp might have done some fun.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

We do get some of her.

[Ben Hosley]

He might have done punch up.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

We do get some.

[Griffin Newman]

I wish we had some of Blarp's outrageous comment.

[David Sims]

Sorry, Marie. Sorry.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No, we do get. We do get some of her perspect in the film.

[Griffin Newman]

Which.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Which is. I appreciate. And that's. Yeah.

[David Sims]

It's not a. My wife left me.

[Griffin Newman]

Correct. No, it's. It's.

[David Sims]

Which is a fear though. It is. And that's fine.

[Griffin Newman]

Like surprise when they announced that they were running her in lead. Which. This is a classic. Like, you know, we always complain about this, like punting the female lead of a movie with a male lead to supporting. Especially if it's a suffering wife character.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Even if she has the screen time and they're just like, no, this is like very much a two hander.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Which it is. It is.

[David Sims]

It.

[Griffin Newman]

It's not for lack of screen time. And I think she does good work in this. But I just kept being like, I don't think this movie is speaking from a place of like identifying the real kind of what you want from the cramming crow magic of just like. There is honest comedy coming out of the recognizing of a moment that feels so true. And you've never seen someone put on screen before before, or at least not in that way, you know, and there is stuff that's interesting in the setup of this and I do like that it's trying to be a divorce movie that isn't about a fucking fight.

[David Sims]

Yes. These are the kind of Kramer versus Kramer. You know, again, there's so many pitfalls you can avoid and it does not do those things. But when in the final act of this movie and we can sort of go through the plot, but like, you know, she's. They're having the heart to heart in the attic or wherever they are. And she's like, you know, you just kept seeing me as a volleyball player. And he's like, you know, whatever. Like, you weren't in love with me. Or.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

They also have that line about, like, the difference between being miserable because of someone or being miserable with someone or.

[David Sims]

Being miserable in the marriage. And I'm like, this is all interesting. You guys are catching me up on something I didn't see. So I'm not that. Like, these are things that could be insightful, but because I met you, having decided to get divorced, I just don't know that I care too much about why you got divorced.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I already got divorced.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I don't think this movie has, like, really great chemistry. Like, right off the bat, that scene when they go to their friend's loft, played by Andrew Day and Bradley Cooper.

[David Sims]

We'Re gonna get divorced, but let's go to this fucking thing.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

We can't tell anyone we're getting divorced yet. And then. So, like, Will Arnett is already living in an apartment in the city, and Laura Durden. The kids are in the house upstate in Westchester, right? And they're at Grand Central. And they're like, you know, we gotta.

[Ben Hosley]

Say before we pass that Bradley Cooper does trip and fall onto a carton of milk. And that might have been the only moment I laughed.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I mean, basically everything he does.

[Griffin Newman]

In the movie is really funny. He has, like an Along Came Polly entry, and he's got, like a big ass beard, super long hair, and he's like an alternate in. Not Jesus Christ Superstar, but it's a John the Baptist.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, it's some sort of religious play. And he grew the beard so he'd look more like a disciple, but he's like, yeah, it's just kind of one of those.

[David Sims]

I mean, he's smart to be like, I'll just play this fun supporting role. But then anytime he's on screen, I'm like, I think I want the Balls movie. Like, what. What movie is this guy in?

[Griffin Newman]

Not only. Not only do I think I want the balls movie, but I'm also like. Like, no disrespect to his buddy, but Will Arnett could play balls well and Bradley could play the lead much better.

[David Sims]

But you're. I mean, I think maybe you're right, but I. But I do like Bradley as balls, though.

[Griffin Newman]

I do, too.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I love Bradley.

[Griffin Newman]

Ideally, it's a double casting. Bradley's both.

[David Sims]

You know, most people have two balls. Not everybody.

[Griffin Newman]

Let me. Let me just zoom out for a second. Here. Right. We're all confused by this. The trailer comes out, you're like, I like what he's going for. I'm like, I really don't see. See it. Right then you see it first and you're like, it's fine. Yeah.

[David Sims]

I just couldn't get there with it for the reasons I just said. But then there were little moments I like.

[Griffin Newman]

Then Marie and Ben see it.

[David Sims]

They kind of have the same reaction.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Your line I remember was, I think I won't remember it in two weeks.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

When we record.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And then I see it. I will say candidly, I saw it on the day we're about to get.

[David Sims]

A classic Griff new movie. Okay, go ahead. You saw it on the.

[Griffin Newman]

The day it's not a new movie. I just have to be honest about this.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

What? What, like life changing advice or was it the election? Like the election?

[Griffin Newman]

100%. I did not like this movie. I would never like this movie, I will admit. And I had to like, clock this once. I felt the relief of Zon winning when I stepped into that theater and the movie progressed and I wasn't liking it. And I was just so terrified of like. And then I'm going to get out of this theater and turn my phone off and I'm going to see that Cuomo is like, in the lead.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Why would you think that?

[Griffin Newman]

That. Because I don't believe anything good can ever happen again. I just didn't trust it. I don't trust anything anymore. I certainly. You are right. You were rubbing your pierced nipples.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Do you guys. Yeah, I was about to say, do you guys remember when everyone thought he had pierced nipples for a couple of weeks during COVID when he would give those press conferences with like.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you remember when he like obliterated a retirement home and then did like six months of victory lapse on TV with his brother? Being. Being like, now listen to me. I figured out how to beat Covid and then wrote a book, like, by the end of 2020. Being like, how I beat Covid. And I'm like, none of us have gotten the job yet. And you're. You're declaring yourself and the Winner by knockout, July 2020.

[David Sims]

It's just funny. Sometimes we do these movies.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. And you're like.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I did see the.

[David Sims]

Film when someone did shoot me with a gun.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel very resolved in my opinions on this. And I.

[David Sims]

But every.

[Griffin Newman]

Every moment the movie irked me. It irked me twice as much being like. It was like when we saw he.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Year and I But that actually ended badly.

[Griffin Newman]

Where I was just like, Trump is present and we have to watch here now. And I would love nothing more in both cases to be like, this movie took my mind off of everything and transported.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Have you seen Sentimental Value yet?

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I mean, made me think of here a lot.

[Griffin Newman]

Here's another thing I'm gonna say. Here I see sentimental value. Just here I only build in black and very dark gray. Lego Batman. Good movie. 5 stars.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Love Lego Batman.

[Griffin Newman]

I see Sentimental Value the same week as this, right? And one of the first shots of that movie. Quite a good film. One of the first shots of that movie is just a shot of the family house. It's not my favorite either. I greatly prefer Worst Person. Yes. Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

House. House is like the starring role in the film.

[Griffin Newman]

There is what, in almost anyone else's hands would just be a perfunctory establishing shot of a house. And I look at this shot and I go, God. He is somehow making this shot feel emotional. It is not because of swelling strings. He has somehow, in an image, without doing any fancy trickery, put some feeling into a shot of a house before we built the characters into it. And what jumped out to me was I was like, this is the part of the thing that Cameron Crowe can do that other people don't get right. It's not just the dialogue. It's not just the working with the actors, but Cameron Crowe somehow knew how to visualize the emotions of his films where you watch them and you're just like. Even when he's doing a weird thing, right, you're like, the films have a texture and a feeling and a color palette that feels like the melancholy.

[David Sims]

I just feel that way about Bradley Cooper's movies too. And I think he had an idea with this one.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

The Cameron Crowe thing. I don't really think of him. Maybe this will change if I, like, spend more time with his filmography. I don't really think of him as a super visual filmmaker.

[David Sims]

Have you seen Jerry Maguire? You knew shot the shit out of that thing. It's a wet movie.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No, I mean, it's a. Like, I'm not saying that they don't. The movies don't look good. But I think when I talk about moments that I have, like, a particular emotional resonance. It's because of the music.

[Griffin Newman]

Music.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And he picks really good.

[David Sims]

Doesn't really. No, I don't know what you're talking about. He doesn't really use music in any way.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No, it's not really his thing.

[David Sims]

But he worked at Rolling Stone as A music journalist. But famously, every week he'd file. Haven't listened to a song yet. See you later.

[Griffin Newman]

He would review how the record looked and not the COVID He'd go deep grooves on this one. Black.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Not to derail us even further. Did I tell you guys about my experience seeing sentimental?

[David Sims]

How was your seeing of cinema, your.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

View of Yoakum Cinema starring Alfea?

[Griffin Newman]

I saw it.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I saw it at a Q and A screening that David Ehrlich was moderating.

[David Sims]

Right, right.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So I got to go for free.

[David Sims]

Sure. Wonderful.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And I got to sit in the comp section.

[Griffin Newman]

Nice work. If you can get in.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You know who else was sitting in the comp section?

[Griffin Newman]

Who?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Directly behind me. Both of us there by ourselves. No. John Turturro, who I see quite often at various things in the New York celeb. A New York celebrity.

[Griffin Newman]

Francesco Bernoulli himself.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Himself, indeed.

[David Sims]

Carmine Falcone.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Carmone. Carmine Carmone.

[David Sims]

Falcone.

[Griffin Newman]

But the fading gigolo.

[David Sims]

Catwoman's baddie. Right. That's the twist.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. But then it was Mark Strong.

[David Sims]

Okay.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, but I believe so. It was like watching the movie, like with running commentary.

[Griffin Newman]

Was he responding vocally?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Vocally.

[Griffin Newman]

What would he say?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Okay, so first of all, during the training, Paolo Sorrentino.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, sure.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Is making another movie. I don't know if it's like a sequel to the Great Beauty, but it's the same guy.

[David Sims]

Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

Most of them are Tony Servita.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah. This guy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And then the trailer plays. Trailer ends. He goes, incredible actor.

[Griffin Newman]

He's by himself.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He is by himself. So then when we get to trailer number four.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, my God, how many fucking trailers are there?

[David Sims]

All right, John. All right, I'm with you.

[Griffin Newman]

I just saw a car commercial.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah. So I really enjoyed that. And then the. Probably the most notable John Turturro reaction to the film itself was during the sequence where spoil. Well, no, people will have seen the movie by the time it comes out.

[David Sims]

It's early January, I would say.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah. There is a moment where Stellan Skarsgard gives some.

[Griffin Newman]

There's a birthday present.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

There's a birthday present. Like an eight or nine year old child's birthday.

[Griffin Newman]

Let's not ruin the gag. But there's a birthday present. If you've seen the movie, you know what it is?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

There is a birthday present that is w. Wildly inappropriate. And John Turturro just lost it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like knee slapping. And I was like, I love that.

[Griffin Newman]

And then at one point he clenched his fist and went, Lightning McQueen. I'm gonna win the race.

[David Sims]

We never, never forget that he was in.

[Griffin Newman]

I forgot he was at Francesco Bernoulli. Oh, did you reset the clock? No.

[David Sims]

Ben's. No, Ben put it as an in countdown.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, I set it to two hours.

[David Sims]

And I counted it because Ben wanted this to be a short one.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Let's see, we started about an hour late.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, we. We started kind of late.

[David Sims]

But of course, someone just the hour mark felt a bit peckish as we were beginning check off.

[Griffin Newman]

Sandwich was eaten. Hungry.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Is this thing on?

[Griffin Newman]

I. I just felt some of the Cameron Crow I want to wanted from sentimental value. And I do not like. I like the ambition. I know the Crow thing's been stated a lot, Right. In a weird way, this felt like Bradley Cooper specifically trying to make like a 2006 Fox Searchlight drama.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

It felt like specific evocation of a kind of like, dead, forgotten, middling, like, Sundance dance drama.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's. It is a Tribeca actor making a movie shooting in New York with.

[David Sims]

With bigger actors and all.

[Griffin Newman]

And we had this conversation when the Star Is Born trailer came out where we were just both like, holy.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, it feels like a real movie.

[Griffin Newman]

When I hear that, like, Bradley Cooper is now directing Star is Born after every A list director in Hollywood has flirted with this for 10 years, and now he's doing it with Lady Gaga. We were like, okay. And you see the trailer and you're like, holy shit. This is a real, real movie. And it doesn't much in a Cameron Crow way. Maestro and Starsborn look very different, but are both, like, beautifully shot and look very emotional and are very, like, ecstatic and expressive. And I see this trailer and I'm just like, I. I don't know what this is. I don't get why he's doing this. And this movie, let's just say, much like the game I loved of like, ask someone, give them a million chances. They will never, ever in a million years. Guess what the final shot of tar is. You could do the same challenge with this movie of how do you think Bradley Cooper's Will Arnett standup divorce dramedy is this thing on opens? Why, of course, with a ceremonial Chinese New Year lion like that reing up its head. It's just a, like, where is this movie? And then it's, you know, the two of them at their child's, like, recital. And then it basically goes into to this point of what we're saying. The two of them standing in the bathroom mirror doing their nighttime routines, standing in just kind of like, complacent silence and Then she turns to him and says, do you think we should call it?

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And you're like, okay, this is kind of interesting that they're choosing to judge. Just be like this thing just ends in like a poof. You know, there's no dramatic blow up.

[David Sims]

Absolutely. I think it's a realistic portrayal of this stuff. I mean, the Chinese New Year thing comes back.

[Griffin Newman]

It does. At the end of the film, right? Yeah. Under pressure. Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But they also talk about like a line, like the difference between a lion and a dragon.

[Griffin Newman]

My eyes. Well, you.

[David Sims]

Look, I. Griffin, you were hostile to this film, I cannot deny. But I'm just saying, saying, like the Chinese New Year thing is not. That is woven in. Right, Right.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm not saying it's nothing to do with. I'm just setting the bed.

[David Sims]

It worked for me in that kind of thing of like you are a grown up having a crisis. You had to show up to your kids thing. Your kids thing is a loud, bizarre, echoey gymnasium thing where you're just around.

[Griffin Newman]

To him, like his head against the wall and it looks like he's going through a hangover, which he's not, but it's just like this guy's at nothing.

[David Sims]

I. I found that quite resonant.

[Griffin Newman]

And then you have this, right. Like there's that. Should we call it? And then the next thing you see is them standing outside the son's bedroom and they're like, so, like, do I stay here? Do you? Like they're trying to make the immediate plans, right? Before even figuring out the larger untangling of everything. The son comes out the bedroom and he's like, are you guys fighting? And they're like consoling him and they're going out of their way. I say like, no, of course we never fight. We never fight. You know that we never her fight. And the kid is accepting it. And you're like, okay, this is kind of interesting in what we're saying that this movie is setting up like this thing just fizzled. Something clearly just like slowly leaked out of them. They are in the least dramatic way possible, just going like, I guess it's over. And they're acknowledging that there hasn't been a strain on the kids of them fighting. And then you basically go to this, right, Their friends, their group of friends, who they've been friends with for decades. Decades. It's Sean Hayes and his real husband.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, that's nice. Because I'm like, I don't know who that actor is.

[Griffin Newman]

Two of the three smartless guys in this movie. Andrew Day and her husband Balls. Bradley Cooper, who is a struggling actor.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

And then Will Arnett and Laura Dern, they. I, I feel like don't really drop the volleyball reveal until like 40 minutes in. That, that feels like it's a random like where he's like, why don't you go train for a, a gold medal? And then in her getting insulted by it, she explains like, you know, that that's behind me. And I'm like, wait, what? All I'm saying is at like minute 50, he says something about. I think it's the scene where he says to Bradley Cooper, like, I've been doing standup. Cuz the kind of a running joke in this movie is that everyone thinks he's got like a secret girlfriend because he's being mysterious about what he's doing at night. But he's actually going and doing these infamous comedy seller mics with packed, warm, crazy crowds. And he.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I didn't like, I've only been in the comedy cellar like once. I'm gonna just come out and say it.

[David Sims]

Louis CK is your favorite comedian.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I really don't like standup.

[David Sims]

What?

[Griffin Newman]

Right. You like his personal life when he's.

[David Sims]

Your favorite comedian, you like his novel. Did you see the author photo?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, wait, is this a new thing?

[Griffin Newman]

He wrote a novel.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Wait.

[David Sims]

Yeah, but everyone's ripping on his author photo because it makes it look like he's, you know, tol at his.

[Griffin Newman]

He like at a typewriter, right? Yeah.

[David Sims]

Oh, it's the most jerk off.

[Griffin Newman]

Like literally about like a dust bowl child.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Wow. Oh my God.

[David Sims]

Wait, is it. I don't know.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He looks old too.

[David Sims]

Well, he's not a young man.

[Griffin Newman]

I mean, it's like a character study of like, I want to say like a young boy in Oklahoma who like grows up to work on the railroad.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Wow, that's crazy. Does like the young boy like got jerked off?

[Ben Hosley]

Okay, so wait, he would stand up? Why don't you stand up?

[Griffin Newman]

It makes mostly divorced dads kind of.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Just like stand up. Makes me really uncomfortable.

[Griffin Newman]

Free flowing, like not really hitting hard jokes, just kind of doing a therapy session on stage.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I like, don't mind. I know I don't mind like watching clips of stand up. I don't like being in the audience.

[Ben Hosley]

Like, is it because of the trend of crowd work?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's the crowd.

[Griffin Newman]

You're worried.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It makes me deeply uncomfortable.

[David Sims]

Crowd work.

[Griffin Newman]

This.

[David Sims]

It also seems to be like. Right. It's a growing. Has become a play because of TikTok, right? Yeah, yeah, it's like, you need like a viral clip where you're like, I'm.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Not coming here to be roasted. I'm not, like, I'm not. I'm not interested in that. I also feel deeply uncomfortable with, I don't know, people bombing. Like.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, well, it's not fun to watch.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's. Right.

[David Sims]

I mean, I don't think a lot of people take pleasure.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So when I say, like, everyone, I don't like, stand up. Like, the idea of going to. What about like a comedy club.

[Griffin Newman]

Sure.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

In New York. That to me is not like, I don't enjoy that.

[David Sims]

But what about like a, you know, very established standup doing like a show at like a theater or whatever. Is that of interest?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Maybe. Okay, well, like, I. Honestly, the only, like major standup show I saw was Louis CK at Madison Square Garden, which is the absolute worst venue for that.

[David Sims]

MSG is great for stand up. I love it. The acoustics are great. You're on top of the guy.

[Griffin Newman]

That's exactly Ben and I. Do you remember in the, in our 20s, we used to always do the MSG open mic?

[Ben Hosley]

Oh, yeah.

[David Sims]

Well, you wanted to see the Knicks.

[Griffin Newman]

Games and then you didn't have to pay the 50 cover charge by popcorn. You could just get up on stage.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Griffin, when we got out of the movie, I was like telling Ben, I was like, I really want to talk to you guys, like, because I have a. I don't know this world that well.

[Griffin Newman]

You were asking me a lot of questions and you were like, but you did you do shit like this? And we're like, yeah, but like, they do the depths of our depression.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You can just do. You can just do the comedy seller as a complete rando.

[David Sims]

That is. Yes, you can. You can do it.

[Griffin Newman]

No, you can do it.

[David Sims]

No. Right. Obviously the real guy this is based on is a British comic and I.

[Griffin Newman]

Can you talk about him a little bit?

[David Sims]

I mean, sure. John Bishop is his name. And yes, I mean, obviously the Brits. What do the Brits love more than a fucking, you know, stand up comedy? They adore it. And there's open mics everywhere. And he did an open night at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester, which I assume is not as esteemed as the Comedy Cellar in Greenwich Village, New York.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[David Sims]

So I think that may more be a place where, yes, if you put your name down, you can like get a seat at the bar and then you'll get to do your open mic or whatever.

[Griffin Newman]

I saw there is a interview, a.

[David Sims]

Four pound entry fee.

[Griffin Newman]

He did interview on The Graham Norton show recently, in the last couple years. That is a pretty good encapsulation of the real life story that inspired this movie. Right. And I'm not holding this movie to that. But, like, the changes made within it destroy any internal reality of understanding about the comedy scene works versus what he describes. First of all, it was 30 years ago. Second of all, he was in, I think, either his late 20s or early 30s. He's telling this story as like, I've been in comedy for 30 years and you'll never believe how I got my start. It's a really bizarre story. Right, Right. He got married young. He, like, married a childhood sweetheart. Sweetheart. After a couple years, they had a sort of fizzle out in the relationship like this. They broke up and he was just like, I'm super depressed.

[David Sims]

I think similarly, they had a bunch of kids fast. And it, you know, whatever. Their marriage ossified.

[Griffin Newman]

Can you double check that? That they had kids?

[David Sims]

The quote is, after having three kids, so quick.

[Griffin Newman]

Got it. Okay. And he's just sort of like, I don't know what to do. I like, made my bed in this and now I have nothing. Right. I have no sense of stuff. Himself, he just wants to drink. It is not a comedy club. It is a bar that has an open mic.

[David Sims]

No, it's a comedy club. It's the Frog and Bucket comedy club in Manchester.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Frog and Bucket.

[David Sims]

Is it their open mic? He performed well in front of an audience of seven people. Was encouraged to return every week, which he saw as a form of counseling. One of his regular jokes was about how he missed his ex so much that he kept her severed head in the fridge.

[Griffin Newman]

Bit of a dark joke, the comedy. Yes. It sounded like.

[David Sims]

And then one day he says this joke and he realizes his wife is in the audience. She meets him after the gig and she's like, wanna fuck? No. I don't know. They. They laugh about it and they. He says it saved their marriage.

[Griffin Newman]

They got back together and they've stayed together since then.

[David Sims]

As far as.

[Griffin Newman]

I wanna. I wanna make a distinction on a thing here. Okay. In the. In the Graham Norton interview, he said that he goes up. It's seven people, which is what open mics are like. It's not a real audience. Right. You're either performing for, like, less than 10 people, or there are a bunch of other comics there who are all impatiently waiting as one of 40 names on a list who had to, like, camp out hours earlier to get on that list. And they are all so in their head about their Own material. So jealous of how everyone else is doing. Very few people play well at mics and no one like brings like a non paying friend audience. Obviously it's like rare British clubs in the 90s. The scene might been different. I can't to this with authority. Right. But he is saying definitively I performed for seven people. I did not get a big response. You know, like, oh yeah, I. That line got a laugh.

[David Sims]

But it was a form of therapy like you said. Right. It's just, I just kept going and.

[Griffin Newman]

That'S something really raw came out of him as shown by like him making a joke that dark. Right? Sure. And this guy comes up to him and is like, you should do this again. And he was like, oh, you thought I was funny. And he, they were like, no, but, but like there's something kind of interesting that just happened on stage and the conversation that happens pretty late in this movie after he's already seemingly become like a comedy seller regular and is hanging out with the guys upstairs every night where someone goes like, you're not good, but you're interesting. Was basically what was said to him the second he walked off the open mic and gave him the encouragement to be like, let me figure out how to actually do this well versus this movie basically has him stumble into to the most coveted stage in New York City to a crowd of people who just seem like a regular comedy going audience who give him a pretty polite response in a way that feels totally inaccurate for what I think is like an incredibly mediocre set. Like that set should be received more harshly than the set that turns the joker into the joker on the same comedy seller stage.

[David Sims]

No, I, you know, it feels very.

[Griffin Newman]

Awkward and embarrassing and like this guy's having like an emotional breakdown.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I mean I, I thought that like it was a polite response. I mean this was another question I had is like do. Because again, haven't been to a lot of open mics. Do people boo?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, well, no, not even that.

[Ben Hosley]

It's like it would be wild if someone did that.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But like no one's gonna be like get off the stage.

[Ben Hosley]

But someone would be like if they.

[David Sims]

Made something really off color, certainly someone's.

[Griffin Newman]

Like running the light or if they're like really like stirring people up. And I think Ben, you'll agree with me on this. Like the polite response is not a thing. No, like now there are more.

[Ben Hosley]

That's not helpful.

[Griffin Newman]

Now there are more comedian curated. Like I made a deal with a bar to get like an afternoon in a back room and I'M working really hard to try to make this a positive mic. And that feels like a peer to peer thing. But these sort of club mics.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Mics.

[Griffin Newman]

It's like, especially in New York City and even going lower than comedy seller. It's like you're probably paying to get up on stage or there's a drink minimum, Right?

[Ben Hosley]

Well, there's bringer shows.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. But that's a real audience, which is a real audience. Almost feels more like he's doing a bringer show. But it's like, no, he's drunk. Stumbling after, like a night. When he goes out with the old friends, they hide the fact that they're getting divorced.

[David Sims]

And then his wife gets on the train.

[Griffin Newman]

He has a little piece of a weed cookie.

[David Sims]

He does.

[Griffin Newman]

And he's just like, oh, what am I doing? He puts his nose up against the glass. It's this famous restaurant that exists. The Fig Tree.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

That is owned by the same people at the Comedy Cellar. It is upstairs. Upstairs.

[David Sims]

It's upstairs, upstairs.

[Griffin Newman]

It's upstairs from the Comedy Cellar. It is connected. But you cannot see the show from the restaurant. Right. And the guy's like, 15 buck cover charge. And he's like, why? Because there's comedy in there. So I have to pay $15 to have a drink. Yes. Jordan Jensen walks by, or I think it's Chloe Radcliffe at first. Very good comedian. And he goes, why didn't she have to pay? Because she's performing. Well, how do I do that? You just put your name on a list. Why the is anyone paying $15 to go to that bar? And that it's a sign up for what seems to be like a weekday night at a legitimate stage with a packed house. And you guys are saying, well, it doesn't feel like he does that with. Well, but I think Ben and I would agree that, like, it doesn't pass the sniff test. No one is that polite in open mic. No one. No one is that polite. And especially that kind of stage.

[Ben Hosley]

I mean, even at these club mics, they don't even turn the same lighting on for what you would have if you were to go to a regular show. They put on, like, the worst, like, fluorescent lighting.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Like, they don't even bother with, like, you know, creating the ambiance for those kinds of mics.

[Griffin Newman]

It's so much more depressing than this. It is like, so much more like no one is putting a good face on this. Right. If you get like a. Huh? You're like, oh, that joke's a keeper. Right. The Idea that he could be up there and be this sloppy and not go into something that is so raw and so dark that it would get some kind of shocking response from someone, like, my wife's head is in a fridge and would get this much of a, like, polite thing. I'm just like, no one starts out that well. And what I wanted to grant them the like. Like, the kindness of assuming they were doing is a lot of comedians talk about being like, I was the funny guy at the office. And one night we were at a bar and an open mic started and they all pushed me to get up and I got up and I kind of killed. Like, it wasn't, like, amazing, but I liked a bunch of shit.

[David Sims]

And I got some laughs and I.

[Griffin Newman]

Thought it was good. And then I went up the next day and I bombed. And I bombed for straight.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He never bombed.

[Griffin Newman]

I didn't get another laugh for a year. And a lot of people talk about that dead count bounce thing where. Where it's like you have some beginner's luck and then you can't replicate it and now you're like, fuck. Well, I've had a taste. I'm addicted to this. And now I have to learn the craft of knowing how to do it. And he never bumps. And the movie tries to explain to him the process of iterating. You got to go up six times a night. You need to work a bit out to get it honed. Every set we do see him do is entirely new. Feels like a stream of consciousness. We see his binder full of nothing notes. I understand the movie doesn't.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Griffin. It would be so boring if we watched him do the same material over and over again. And it's not what the movie's about.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

The comedy scenes are just him exploring his feelings for the viewers.

[Griffin Newman]

I've seen other people say this on letterboxd, but it is literally a men will literally do stand up to avoid going to therapy. Yes, they will.

[David Sims]

And that's something that's interesting to explore. That's what most stand up comedy feels like.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Can I bring up another film which I would like to recommend.

[Griffin Newman]

Please.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

That I think is a really nice exploration of like, I love you, Daddy, directed by Louis C. Of like, a middle aged straight guy decides to get a hobby that he, like, kind of keeps separate from the rest of his life. And then how that ends up affecting trap.

[David Sims]

All right, it was a good joke.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Is Josh hard at middle aged?

[Griffin Newman]

He is. I regret to tell you. He's 45.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, my God.

[David Sims]

We're so 47.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, my. He's almost 50.

[Griffin Newman]

He's gonna get there, God willing. So old.

[David Sims]

You're not. It's fine. It's just like these guys who were famous when we were teens. It's like they're 10 years older than us.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm gonna be 37.

[David Sims]

That's great.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No, it's not. What it is.

[David Sims]

Is this thing on?

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, my God.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I should start doing stand up.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, It's a good time. It's a good time.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So the movie.

[Griffin Newman]

The industry's in a really good place.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

The movie is called Shall We Dance?

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah, that movie.

[Griffin Newman]

You just saw this for the first time.

[David Sims]

The gear. Well, in the original movie.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

The original movie, the Japanese movie with Koji Yoshuko, who's in Cure and Perfect Dizz, but he's like. Who decides to start taking ballroom dancing lessons?

[David Sims]

Look, there's no country better than Japan for that vibe too. Of the sort of broken down salaryman.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Having a. Yeah, but it's such a nice exploration of, like, I don't know, sometimes it's nice to, like, start a new project that's just for you and, like, interrogating that. And also, like, why can't you bring other people in your life into it? Like, why are you hiding this from your wife? Like, you're not having an affair, you're just exploring.

[David Sims]

Right. Why wouldn't you say this to.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[David Sims]

Why wouldn't you admit to this?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So that to me is like, so, so interesting. But this movie, it's like, okay, she finds out about the standup a lot sooner than I thought.

[Griffin Newman]

And then the second half, she's just.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, I am horny for you.

[Griffin Newman]

Truly. The full second half of this movie is they sleep together again. And then they're like, so are we back together or what? And then starting to have, like, a little bit of heat between. Between them. They finally start having the conversations about, like, what went wrong. And there's some, like, very charged back and forth.

[David Sims]

Their thing open. Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

Was I sad in the relationship or was I saddened in a relationship? Did I fall out of love with you or did I fall out of love with you? Falling out of love with me? Like, a lot of that.

[David Sims]

It's a lot of that. The thing that's happened that it's the therapy thing that you just said. It's like. Right. She's finally watching him process.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And talk about how he feels. And I guess that wasn't happening. Which makes sense. People just. Things go unspoken or whatever. Right. And that's exciting for her.

[Griffin Newman]

She's also very angry at Slash turned on that he does stand up about having slept with another stand up.

[David Sims]

He does. He does.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He also acknowledges that he misses his wife.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Ben Hosley]

I think with Jordan Jensen.

[Griffin Newman]

He does. Yes.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

This all happens.

[Ben Hosley]

There's like stand up that appears in this.

[Griffin Newman]

That every other stand up in this movie. A real standup. And you're most watching him loves stand.

[David Sims]

Up comedy and goes to the Cellar all the time, I believe. Right. So he knows these guys. This all happens while Laura Dern is on a date with Peyton Manning.

[Griffin Newman]

Almost insane.

[David Sims]

Playing a character.

[Ben Hosley]

Oh, he's not playing himself.

[David Sims]

He's not.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I thought he was actually quite good in this.

[David Sims]

I think he's incredible in this.

[Griffin Newman]

I thought he was fun. I wanted him to stay in the this movie. I ran into Patrick Williams.

[David Sims]

How many movies can you do?

[Griffin Newman]

And Dave Wesus, head of Nebula, who works with Patrick at this screening, sat with them. It cuts to this date night. Right. There's this whole parallel thing. Oh, Bradley Cooper's been getting deeper in. Into this. Comedians are letting him hang out with them. He's performing only there. They say this thing, you need to go up six times a night. You see him go to one open mic, just put his name in a bucket. But otherwise it feels like this guy's just doing the Cellar every night at point. Some. Some point pretty late. I think when he admits to Bradley Cooper he's been doing this, he goes like, so what? Now you're just going to like, be a standup? And he goes, well, I'm not going to quit my job. And I think that was the first moment in the movie that I clocked he had a job.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yes.

[David Sims]

He has some boring financial jobs.

[Griffin Newman]

See that? He wears a suit sometimes. But the movie can't even bother to be like, what is his job and how does it affect his life? It does feel like this is a guy who can kind of just drop everything. Everything and then, like, knows when to show up for his kids. Right. But there's this one thing where they call him and they're like, we got a show tonight.

[David Sims]

There's the one dilemma of, like, you're gonna get up an actual slot versus but you have to.

[Griffin Newman]

I think the movie fails to in any way present how this slot is in any way different from what he's been doing the entire movie.

[David Sims]

I think it is very understandable that you're hung up on all these details. I do think most viewers don't care.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm not even calling out like, Lack of realism based relative to what I know about comedy. I. I'm like, shouldn't that show feel different if the energy around it is this one matters. The other ones were all training wheel shows.

[David Sims]

That worked for me just fine. All the stuff you're complaining about. I'm like, none of this.

[Griffin Newman]

Bumped on super hard. He goes to her, he's like, I know it's not supposed to be your night, right? Can I drop the kids?

[David Sims]

They also have Irish twins is the joke.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I was having in vitro.

[Griffin Newman]

They had them very late. Cuz clearly like Bradley wanted to cast his two friends in the movie. And then they're like, huh, the math on them having kids who are.

[David Sims]

They're 58 and 55. Right? Yeah. But the, the idea guess being she was an athlete. Honestly, it doesn't make a sense, but whatever.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I like a lot of the kids stuff. The one thing I don't, the one thing I didn't like was the musical.

[Griffin Newman]

Performance, the under pressure.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Those kids would not be that good.

[David Sims]

Yeah. It also just kind of felt like a movie in need of an ending.

[Griffin Newman]

It felt like a force came across.

[David Sims]

Which I'm like, they love. Actually a lot of movies are like, kid plays the drums, you'll love that. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

But even the, the aloha ending, which is the most successful part of Aloha with Bradley watching her dance routine, rocks in Al. Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

How embarrassing when the kid finds his stand up.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I was gonna bring that.

[Ben Hosley]

That gives me shivers, Griffin. To think about like having to explain to any child scribblings just the a madness that I've written.

[Griffin Newman]

A moment that rang true for me when he's like, these are just jokes and they were like, they're really sad.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

What do you mean jokes?

[Ben Hosley]

These are not funny at all.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I loved that part because I think that that before Laura Dern sees him. And so I'm like, oh, this is interesting. I'm expecting it to be about the wife finding out about the standup, but it's actually way less, well tread ground and more interesting to me to talk about the kids.

[David Sims]

Right. I'm talking about you a little bit. I don't know how to explain that.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Because it's like there's no like easy way to explain it. But it's not about that. So I was like, oh, okay. We moved past that.

[Griffin Newman]

They do that.

[David Sims]

But then. Right.

[Griffin Newman]

Compared to shall we dance? Right. Where you're like, it makes sense in the 90s culturally that this character would have a secret shame about the idea that he's doing ballroom dancing and doesn't want people to know. Right? And he's finding some form of self expression. Right? And there's, like a little kind of dancing around, like. And it's the Bradley Cooper scene, I think is good, where he's like, fuck, I'm annoyed that you're going for it. Like, everyone always thought you were funny and talented. And my thing was just that I'm the only person who decided to, like, be pot conscious, committed to living the artist's life, and that the rest of you gave up and took boring jobs. Right? But there's a degree of, like, shame and hiding he has around the standup thing as if he is, like, doing ballet.

[David Sims]

No, I think it's just that he's talking about his personal life, I think. I think that's it, right? That's the conflict.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like whenever it comes up with people, they're like, stand up. What do you mean, stand up? And I'm laughing.

[David Sims]

Kieran Hines says that. And he says, like, stand up.

[Griffin Newman]

What are you doing?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, that is how I would react.

[Griffin Newman]

While he's, like, drinking Juicy Juice out.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Of a. Yeah, that was a weird.

[David Sims]

No offense to people who have practiced standup comedy in a professional way, but if I had a random friend, you.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Know, tell me, I would be like.

[David Sims]

Like, hey, I've been trying to do open mics.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'd be like, are you okay? Like, there's something wrong with you.

[Griffin Newman]

And I think you'd be like, oh, God, I don't want to see their show. It's probably really awkward, but I feel like this movie has everyone be like, what do you. What is standup? What are you talking about? Talking about when I'm like, stamp, we are arguably living in a time where the problem is that stand up is too culturally powerful. And this movie kind of treats it like this weird, shameful underground thing.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's in a cellar at a time.

[Griffin Newman]

Where, like, it dominates all just to reassure you.

[David Sims]

Look, okay.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel really good.

[David Sims]

He won. Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

It's okay. He won. Really?

[Ben Hosley]

I would say more if, like, someone was like, I'm actually becoming an influencer. That would be more scary.

[David Sims]

I started a YouTube. You need to follow, you need to subscribe.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And, like, that is what I'm living right now.

[David Sims]

Oh, your husband's become an influencer?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No, my dad.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, yeah.

[David Sims]

Your dad's got a lot of projects.

[Griffin Newman]

Kind of the Bradley Cooper of the.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Podcast, kind of the Bradley Cooper of Blank Check.

[Ben Hosley]

Your dad is.

[Griffin Newman]

If you combine all great movies. Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

My dad considers himself an influencer.

[Griffin Newman]

Your dad be posting. He's pitching 10.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Your dad.

[Ben Hosley]

Dad went to the Vatican.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

My dad went to the Vatican.

[David Sims]

We shouldn't laugh.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No, no, we can laugh about it. We have to laugh about it.

[David Sims]

I feel like your family listens to this.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

They do. And you know what?

[David Sims]

Hey, shout out John didn't get to meet the Pope. Right. I felt bad for him.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So he was supposed to meet the Pope. He was supposed to get a handshake.

[Griffin Newman]

And he was supposed to do. Do the backpack dance with him.

[David Sims]

Hang on. Gotta pop off five more fire tweets about how JD Vance can suck my dick.

[Griffin Newman]

That would have been the funniest thing.

[David Sims]

I love woke Pope.

[Griffin Newman]

If your dad was in line to meet the Pope and he was like, hold on one second. I just have to meet JD Vance quickly.

[David Sims]

Five minutes later, slap his fucking ass. Dead.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah. No, my dad.

[David Sims]

Oh, right. That was the old guy.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

That was the other guy.

[David Sims]

Oh, this was you?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

This was new Pope, my dad.

[David Sims]

Chicago Pope.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

My dad was going to meet Chicago Pope. There was like a some thing where it's like a bunch of people get to go to the Vatican. It's like they did this. They did this for comedy. They're doing it for.

[Griffin Newman]

They did.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He invited filmmakers.

[Griffin Newman]

And this is only underlining my point. The idea that the Vatican is like, we must invite the comedians is like. This is seen as like one of the most powerful forces in communications.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah. But yeah, my dad gets go to the Vatican. He's supposed to get every, you know, get a blessing. It doesn't happen because of security concerns.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Because they knew my dad was going to try and like, take a like tik Tok video with the Pope.

[Griffin Newman]

He was also holding a giant chicken parm sub. The best taking big crunchy, but bites of steam lines coming off.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

My dad had never been. We're like, we're Italian American. My dad had never been to Italy.

[David Sims]

That's so crazy.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He never been. Never been. And so we had been talking.

[David Sims]

That is a real mystery wrapped in a riddle sometimes.

[Griffin Newman]

A lot of stuff going on.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Bradley Cooper's next movie will be about my father.

[Griffin Newman]

It feels like he's trying to get your dad's attention.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

There's like so much them like rich thematic material there.

[David Sims]

Now I'm imagining I, I'm. And I'm like, just check out this guy's description and we're going to watch some stories together.

[Ben Hosley]

He did post pictures of him meeting Will. I am.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Who is to be clear, Deputy Pope, currently Leo the 14th was like a number two pope. Now, will I am Apple D app is unavailable.

[Griffin Newman]

You didn't finish his name. Then it's Will I am the Pope.

[David Sims]

Will I am the first. Is it the 14th? And he is Leo XIV.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yes, the will I Am story. Just to add this was not posted on social media, but this is like, really fucking embarrassing. Embarrassing. So during COVID when they would have musical performances on late night, but they would be like, they'd film weird things for them.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yes. So I did a Vince Staples performance for the Colbert Show.

[Griffin Newman]

What? This is the first time hearing this major lore drop.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Wait, did. Really? Do we not. No, I'm sorry. Not Vince Staples. Vic Mensa. See, whatever. I haven't heard of this rapper guy, but he. Why Wyclef, like, guested on the track. So Wyclef was there.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And so I, like, I told you know, my family, because I'm like, they won't fucking know who Vic Mensa is, but they will know who Wyclef is.

[Griffin Newman]

You also called your family and said, someone please call 9.

[David Sims]

1.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But Wyclef.

[Griffin Newman]

Sean.

[David Sims]

Yep. I was trying to think, like, what's the best one?

[Griffin Newman]

Someone please call 911.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But my mom told my dad, she got Will I am and Wyclef confused. So my dad starts talking to Will I am about how his daughter worked with him on a film shoot.

[Griffin Newman]

That's tough. If he's like, no, I swear to God, my daughter knows you.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Right. So that was pretty embarrassing. But also, my dad was like, facetiming the whole family from the roof of Saint Peters or whatever. Whatever the Vatican building is.

[David Sims]

And like, Marie, your family's gonna get really mad.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, no, it was great. Isn't this amazing? Look, I'm on the roof.

[David Sims]

I know, but, you know, more at you being like, yeah, wherever the Popes lives. Whatever it's called. Yeah. What does he live in a Chick Fil.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

A Whatever. But, yeah, but he might. All of a sudden, my dad was.

[David Sims]

Like, sorry, guys, I gotta go. I'm not supposed to be filming.

[Griffin Newman]

That rules. Yeah. Yeah. Anyway, breaking news. Labubu movie in early development at Sony.

[David Sims]

Interesting. And Scorsese is signing on. Or is he just circling?

[Griffin Newman]

He. No, he's attached. There's a lot on his plate.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Well, I feel like Scorsese is a labo.

[David Sims]

He is turning into a.

[Griffin Newman]

He is turning in. He's been a couple different types of Labubu, but I'd say he's always been a Labo.

[David Sims]

I say that with all love and respect for the Wonderful, wonderful, great. Martin Scorsese.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. You saw the. The George Lucas Labubu thing. Yes. He was on a red carpet with his lovely wife, Melody Hobson, and he was holding a Labubu dress like him in a little flannel shirt and.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, sorry.

[Griffin Newman]

Jeans and.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Thank you. So Ben's just sending us the screen grab that he took of my dad's Instagram story, which I had meant to.

[Ben Hosley]

Send to the group text. And then I got distracted and I just was looking through my photo roll.

[David Sims]

And I sent every funny Jon Barty, like, Instagram story to the group text. The group text would be flooded.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Had a chat with John Legend and his wife, which is another good one.

[Griffin Newman]

Is she even visible in the. Okay.

[David Sims]

She is.

[Griffin Newman]

She's like, yes, there's a lens flare. J. J.J. abrams shut down.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Her name is Chrissy Teigen.

[David Sims]

She's quite famous.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

She is quite famous. But, yeah, shout out to my dad's adventures. My dad would do.

[Griffin Newman]

Stand up on a good.

[David Sims]

I think the clock is ticking on him going to the Comedy Cellar and somehow getting on stage.

[Griffin Newman]

It's gonna happen.

[Ben Hosley]

When I did the fashion show, your dad was lovely enough to volunteer to be a participant, and he was eating.

[David Sims]

Eating it up.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

The man is a ham sandwich.

[Griffin Newman]

It.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He's a performer.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, hey, don't say that too loudly. It's going to get hungry. Eyes are walking.

[David Sims]

Griffin, have you performed at the Cellar, Griffin?

[Griffin Newman]

No. It's incredibly difficult. What do you mean?

[David Sims]

Isn't it just some old lady called, like, Mitzy or whatever, who's like, all right, kid, I'll give you a shot.

[Griffin Newman]

Mitzi Shore was Polly Shore's mother, and she was. Whatchamacallit, The. Not the improv. The Comedy Store.

[David Sims]

Comedy Store. One of the.

[Griffin Newman]

In la. She's an LA person. No, it's, like, one of the hardest places to get past. It is not a place that has open mics, as they show.

[Ben Hosley]

Have to, like, graduate from other clubs.

[David Sims]

I completely understand that now. Do you think maybe that Bradley wanted to use it because it's, you know, cinematically, it's an interesting space and all that?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I think this. I think all of. I think the story would have been exactly the same.

[David Sims]

Everything in the movie tracked for me in a sort of logical way, even.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

If it's not real.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Old Man Hustle. Brooklyn Comedy Club should have done it.

[David Sims]

At Old Man Hustle or, like, the.

[Griffin Newman]

What's it called?

[Ben Hosley]

Eastville?

[Griffin Newman]

The Grizzly Pear. Any of these places.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Grizzly Pair is really where you would do open mics. That was basically, like, a few buildings down from the seller.

[Griffin Newman]

Then it's like, what if we have comedy every night? Because it helps bring in an audience.

[Ben Hosley]

And it smells like a urinal cage.

[Griffin Newman]

You're not getting paid for any show. Like, I just.

[David Sims]

Crashing obviously did it best.

[Griffin Newman]

Sorry, hold on.

[Ben Hosley]

Let's all just take a moment of.

[Griffin Newman]

Silence, a moment of applause, and there's a.

[David Sims]

There's a show where the actor was the correct age for the role. He was one.

[Griffin Newman]

I know we're doing, like, you know, grumpy inside baseball.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

But I also think if you're gonna do this despite the fact that comedy seller is, like, a good space to depict visually, it looks as comedy clubby as a comedy club could look. It is the comedy club, Right? The kind of, like, collective unconscious idea of going down to a basement.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Every comedy club I've been to, except maybe the, like, weird ones in Bushwick, just replicate that, right?

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's like you need a brick wall.

[Griffin Newman]

Or they're, like, way too shiny and kind of, like, corporate looking. Right. But I. I think it's, like a mistake. Mistake to depict the one comedy club that gets depicted in media. To your point, it's like, that's the club that Crashing uses. That's the place that Marie's best friend, Louis CK Is walking up to at the beginning of every episode of his TV show. Like, if you are someone who does not live in New York City and you visually know one New York comedy club, it's that one. And every other depiction of that. It is the place where the Joker bombs. Every other depiction of it is like, this is the ultimate stage you want to get to. And this movie makes it the entry point, which I think is kind of stupid.

[David Sims]

Walked though those steps.

[Griffin Newman]

He walked. Well, he danced them. And then in the sequel, he walked up them to be told.

[David Sims]

You don't remember?

[Griffin Newman]

Remember When God Got Dumped?

[David Sims]

That's a movie I saw in a fugue stage.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm focused.

[Ben Hosley]

I. I won't get back on the plot. I had a question for you. What do you think is the worst open mic that you would go to? Because I have my answer.

[David Sims]

Answer.

[Ben Hosley]

So I'll go first. While you think about it, is the Alligator Lounge.

[David Sims]

Oh, I've made out with people there.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[David Sims]

But I don't think I ever saw comedy.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like I did a bar.

[David Sims]

Let's applaud David in his 20s.

[Griffin Newman]

I feel like I did a bar show there, but I never did a mic there.

[Ben Hosley]

It's so. It's the location In Manhattan.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Ben Hosley]

Because. And so the deal is you could go there as a regular person and you get a beer and then you.

[David Sims]

Get a free pizza. Terrible. Pizza.

[Griffin Newman]

Terrible, terrible.

[David Sims]

But people, airplane pizza. Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

I mean, it's like.

[David Sims]

It's food.

[Ben Hosley]

Truly. You're right. Airplane, like, not cafeteria.

[David Sims]

Like a little cracker.

[Ben Hosley]

Actually makes this look like gourmet. Right. So I would go to that mic occasionally. Was like a weekly mic, I believe.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

And so you would get though actual people, audience members, not just like open micros. But here's the deal. They were essential. Essentially your prisoners.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Because they were pizza, drink, beer, hang out. And instead they were. You know, it's like you go to a bar and it's like, all right, it's trivia night. You're like, get me the out of here. But this is 10 times worse.

[Griffin Newman]

I think it is a failure of the movie to not depict this when I. I don't want to see the same set six times. But I do think the movie doesn't give you the sense of how he is building or developing.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Should have had a rocky montage.

[Griffin Newman]

A. There should be like one mont of him doing six mics in one montage where you see the same line getting refined. Right. But I even feel like every set is so holistically different. And he basically starts at a point and stays exactly there the entire time where he's just kind of okay. You told me when you saw it, you were like, it's like he goes.

[David Sims]

From being bad to being like, maybe okay for 10 minutes.

[Griffin Newman]

I was relieved that he's never killing it. But he starts with, at no point.

[David Sims]

Does he go viral and have someone say, you're going viral.

[Griffin Newman]

God. He starts way too warm and gets like 5% better.

[Ben Hosley]

Like, instead of like people laughing or clapping, there should just cut to like the audience. And the sound of a glass bottle falling on the ground and kind of just like rattling. It's obviously that's more true to what.

[Griffin Newman]

It's obviously not the main concern. Even though that's where the movie started. We should also acknowledge this film has a screenplay credit story by Will Arnett, John Bishop, who it's based on, and another man. I'm forgetting the name.

[David Sims]

Mark Chappelle, who also wrote got a screenplay right.

[Griffin Newman]

Inspired by John Bishop, but then the.

[David Sims]

Screenplay Mark Chappell, that show the increasing.

[Griffin Newman]

Decisions of Todd Margaret, which Will Arnett was a part of. The screenplay credit is Bradley Cooper and.

[David Sims]

Will Arnett and Mark Chappelle.

[Griffin Newman]

So they wrote a script together and Bradley rewrote It. It makes sense that Bradley was like, I really only took a couple things.

[David Sims]

Yeah. Bradley really liked.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. The took it even further in a different direction. Your friend Brad. But I think, like, it's not this movie's primary concern. Bradley clearly pushed it even more towards the marriage and the divorce. Right. But I feel like it is a waste to even set it in stand up at all if you are not showing some arc of how he comes to understand, A, how to be like, better at doing it. And I don't need it to be like brass tacks accurate. Right. And B, like some greater emotional understanding of what he's expressing and like how he is gaining emotional intelligence through doing this, which is what the movie is really trying to. To do. And he starts out getting out there, just kind of making soft. Barely above Take My Wife, please jokes about being sad and divorced and just kind of stays there. And she sees him and she's like, it's kind of like attractive to see that you were on stage confident and that you mentioned you had sex with somebody and the audience was laughing and she's a little turned on by like, you have the ability to speak, which is certainly the starting point of the movie is this guy's so closed off, they don't know how to talk to each other. All the passion, passion's gone. Really what she seems into is this guy can say what he's feeling.

[David Sims]

Right. The stand up. It's not about him learning to be good stand up. It's not what the movie's about. It's just the therapy scenes in the Sopranos. It's just us being leveled up on his journey through his marriage, through his feelings. It's just a way to dramatically reveal that in my opinion. It's just. That's just not what the movie's about.

[Griffin Newman]

I agree. But to relate it back to Shall We Dance? You're like, you want the dancing to be good. He doesn't need to be Fred Astaire at the end of the movie. But I think it's being translated through a new hobby, a new form of expression.

[David Sims]

I don't find that stuff in the movie that bad. Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I also don't think that like, again, like, again, talk about a movie that like, not a ton of people have seen, but like the dancing. And he doesn't become like, it's not. He's not the best dancer. It's more about him like getting a hobby and what that means to get a hobby and how that affects you emotionally.

[Griffin Newman]

I just think this film absolutely fails to show any arc of what is happening through him. Doing standup until the moment where Laura Dern sees it, and then it's all just about what she's receiving from it.

[David Sims]

What I loved about Peyton Manning's performance.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes.

[Ben Hosley]

Yes.

[David Sims]

Is he impressively plays a guy who's just getting a drink with an old friend, realizes halfway into the date, he's going to fuck her.

[Griffin Newman]

This could be.

[David Sims]

I was like, great actors could not do what he is doing right now. The way his eyes shift, it's like Peyton Manning is like reading an offense or a defense. And he's suddenly like, wait, this pocket's open. I think I'm gonna fuck Laura Durden. I thought I was just saying hi to her, and then she's like, I am, you know, getting.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You know, I also was realizing it, too.

[David Sims]

And. And Laura Durden, very good actor. The whole thing with Peyton Manning in this movie is I'm seeing this at the New York Film Festival. Cut to Peyton Manning on the date. But he's sort of from. From afar. And I'm like, is that fucking Peyton Manning?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Did no one else know who that was?

[David Sims]

None of these virgins at the New York Film Festival. And I go like, is that Peyton Manning? I, like, say it to my seat, to Emma. I was with Emma Stefanski, and she's like, huh? And I'm like, God damn it. Nobody knows who, like, the most famous football player of my lifetime is apart from Tom Brady, immediately. You know, Peyton, because you love snl.

[Griffin Newman]

Exactly.

[David Sims]

Exactly.

[Griffin Newman]

And they talk about him so lovingly on the Lonely.

[David Sims]

He is, I think, the best regarded athlete host of snl.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And he's a good.

[David Sims]

He's fine.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He's a good.

[Griffin Newman]

And that digital short with him and the kids and being an asshole. Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He's like, people for the United Way.

[Griffin Newman]

Or whatever, they're like, this is, like, deceptively difficult.

[David Sims]

Yes. And they do a good job on that episode. Breaking down, like. Right. Why? It's hard.

[Griffin Newman]

His skill set, as I was sort of 40 minutes ago before I got waylaid by 7 other ideas I had with setting up. I run into Patrick and Dave Wiskus there, right? I'm sitting next to them. My level of frustration with the movie is growing. Right. Will Arnett's like, I need to take the kids tonight. She's like, I can't. I have a thing. Right. He drops off with his parents. Christine Ebersol, who I always love.

[David Sims]

We love to see it.

[Griffin Newman]

Kieran Hines, who's super solid and is doing something in this movie. I Couldn't quite pin down it was his casting.

[David Sims]

It felt like the Andrew Dice Clay thing where you're like, did Bradley just sort of, like, have a vision and kind of just wanted him there?

[Griffin Newman]

Like the juice box and his, like, little toy soldier, like, train set.

[David Sims]

There's got to be a guy, maybe Bradley's own father. I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

Are there 20 minutes cut out? Because it felt like he came in with a bunch of ideas and none of them come across on screen.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

If he's, like, an immigrant.

[Griffin Newman]

Right.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

They're. They're. They're. They try to, like, allude to a.

[Griffin Newman]

Lot of backstory coded as, like, very virile still, but also, like.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, but also, like, east during Europe.

[Griffin Newman]

They make it very clear as an immigrant. And I could never pin down he's not doing his own native dialogue.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

No, no, but whatever. Okay.

[Griffin Newman]

So then they both have these parallel nights out where they're not letting the other one know about the thing.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

And we cut into the restaurant. I immediately like the sound of his voice being filmed from the distance three quarters. I, like, turn to Patrick. I'm like, it's fucking Peyton Manning. And he's like, what? What are you talking about? And then they cut in, and he's, like, tilting his head, and I'm like, that's Peyton Manning. This is so bizarre. And I was feeling the way you were feeling during the Amazing Grace scene, where I was like, bradley's doing something weird here, right? And then I'm locked into how good Peyton Manning is, as you. You're saying. And you hear her on the phone with Andre Day. There's this whole side plot that Andrew Day and Bradley Cooper's marriage, like, sucks.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

And they kind of actively hate each other, but, like, a bit out of fighting.

[David Sims]

They're having a parallel crisis and not acknowledging it in a way.

[Griffin Newman]

And. And they, unbeknownst to them, as Dern and Arnett, are about to rekindle things secretly.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

They're looking at them and going like, man, they seem pretty happy being divorced. Get divorced. We should get divorced. So they're starting. Starting to. Like, they're starting them separately. Right, Right. So she says to Andrew Day, like, it's not a date. He's married. He has kids. I'm just thinking about getting into coaching, and he's gonna give me advice. And then you're like, oh, the cast. Peyton Manning. This guy wants to her. Right? But then the surprise is, right, he's playing it like, no, actually, you know.

[David Sims]

This similarly, blah, blah, blah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

She does get it? She gets a job. She gets a coaching job.

[Griffin Newman]

She gets the coaching job. It's nice that she feels like she's found this new avenue. And then they both realize in real time that the other one is divorced and he's locked in. And his suggestion is she says, do you want to get another drink? Because I'm actually not tired at all. And it's like open for business, right. Neon sign. And I'm just, okay, I'm down to watch this happen. Right? And then, and then, of course he says, oh, I know a good place around the corner. And I turn to Patrick and I go, I swear to God, if the place around the corner is the comedy club, yeah, I'm going to arrest this movie.

[David Sims]

Why?

[Griffin Newman]

In what universe? He basically says, do you want to go get a nightcap? I know a good place. And the good place is taking her to a show.

[Ben Hosley]

Like, you know, if he like, I guess knows the owner and you can just get in, that's kind of a cool way.

[David Sims]

It's kind of a cool thing.

[Griffin Newman]

It would be just as insane if he went, yeah, I'm down to get another drink. I actually know a really good place around the corner. Hard cut to them at Film forum seeing a movie.

[David Sims]

Sounds like great. A great place to see a movie.

[Ben Hosley]

They're at a noise show.

[David Sims]

That's where you would go.

[Griffin Newman]

She sees him perform. You think she's going to like flip.

[David Sims]

Out and like revenge Manning because of that, Right?

[Griffin Newman]

I think it's good because of their two performances.

[David Sims]

And their performances.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. And then she like, and, and the.

[David Sims]

Way it swerves in an interesting way.

[Ben Hosley]

Like he does have kind of a good joke about her, that set.

[David Sims]

It's, it's, it's, it all works fine. Then I was like energized, cuz I'm like, the movie's doing something. Then they're back to.

[Griffin Newman]

Had literally done a clown routine at their son's birthday party. Yes. So met Laura Dern sees her on the way out.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

You know, Peyton Manning goes, do you want to leave? And she goes, no, I'm not leaving. I wouldn't, I, I, I wouldn't leave for anything on earth right now. And then she storms out the second the set's done.

[David Sims]

Yes.

[Griffin Newman]

Chloe Radcliffe's like, cool if you're wife to come.

[David Sims]

He's like, what, what's going on?

[Griffin Newman]

Goes upstairs, oh, Jack Horseman. She's put Peyton Manning in a car. She's chain smoking. Or is he coming out with a cigarette? And she asked for a puff This.

[David Sims]

I cannot tell you. That sounds right.

[Griffin Newman]

And just immediately the vibe is like, so we going to. And then it cuts to them in bed. And now you're like, huh, Second half the movie is.

[David Sims]

Is. Is it them like coming back together?

[Griffin Newman]

Which it is, but it's a little. It's complicated. It's a little the Lovers. A movie I like quite a bit. The Tracy.

[David Sims]

That's bad.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes, but that's a movie that's like just tired, loveless marriage. They're both having affairs. They find out about each other's affairs and it kind of turns them on.

[David Sims]

Right. They start to have an affair with.

[Griffin Newman]

Each other and it's fun that they're like, like keeping secret. The idea that they've actually reconnected.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's very. It's complicated.

[David Sims]

Yes, yes. It's a good, very spare little movie that the.

[Griffin Newman]

This is like, area where I was like, okay, I'm a little more interested in the movie going in this direction.

[David Sims]

Me too.

[Griffin Newman]

And then it just felt like kind of the same conversation getting repeated over and over and over.

[David Sims]

This was the thing where I was.

[Griffin Newman]

Kind of like, insight, am I about.

[David Sims]

To be in on this movie? I like that. And then, yes, I do think it's interesting to try and mundanely pretend portray the. The sort of stuff that sets in with marriage. That's fine. But at the end of the day, it's just kind of them talking about stuff where I'm like, oh, I don't know. I suppose you both were a little. Right. This is a little boring. You guys are both like, well off. Like, I don't feel a crisis here.

[Griffin Newman]

They're right. Their lives.

[David Sims]

The amazing Gracie and I loved.

[Griffin Newman]

We have these three friends, these two couple friends and. Oh, my God. How is you getting divorced going to affect our, like, time share cabin, weekend getaway, kind of.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

It's not really a cabin. It's like a mansion.

[Griffin Newman]

Mansion.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Pretty big an oyster. I keep. I keep like mixing up details of this movie and Splitsville because I love Split's Good. Both of them. We did both. Those movies are like, about New York people getting divorced. There's like a Long island home. There's also a child's birthday party. So I'm just like, wait.

[Griffin Newman]

And that's movie is very exaggerated.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Nicholas Braun is in which movie?

[Griffin Newman]

He's in Splitsville, but he's playing a magician. He's playing a mentor. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That movie gets into more exaggerated territory. It goes into sort of stylized. Yeah, yeah. And it goes into almost like magical realism at times.

[David Sims]

Which is what those guys do. Which I like.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. But I was like, I kept feeling like the bigger they swung, the more they were kind of identifying interesting, interesting human dynamics where I'm like, huh, haven't kind of seen that. Which I just kept wanting this to burrow deeper.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like the whole.

[Griffin Newman]

Not deeper and heavier.

[David Sims]

There's a whole thing where he blows up the poster of her being a volleyball player.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

And he's like, look at this awesome thing I did. He doesn't even say it in that.

[Griffin Newman]

Way, but he shows her on his phone. She goes, what's that? He goes, it's an old picture I found of you in the volleyball days. And I blew it up. And I got it the size of my wall in my batch of bachelor pad so the kids can see how awesome. And I turned to Patrick. That's the most insane thing a human being has ever done. Peyton Manning saying, I know a cool place.

[David Sims]

Like, it was like an eight or nine point victory, all the votes.

[Griffin Newman]

It took another two hours.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

They announced it three minutes after the polls.

[Griffin Newman]

I got off the subway and I heard people cheering as I was walking up the stairs. And truly it was like heroin had been injected.

[David Sims]

Unfortunately, you were in the Upper east side because quite Cuomo had won and the como sexuals were out. Yeah, no, actually Sliwa won. You heard the cats screaming.

[Griffin Newman]

And the annoying part was my red beret was at the cleaners and I couldn't even celebrate.

[David Sims]

I can't even go on the subway with this thing.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm sorry, Marie.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Kind of a hot take. I get why she was upset.

[David Sims]

No, I do too.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But I also was like, oh, that's kind of nice.

[David Sims]

So she says like, like I, I understand, but this is not who I am anymore. You can't see my face. Like, I. This is making me feel like you loved the person I was, not the person I am. That's interesting. If I'm her, I'm kind of like, you went to a store and got a thing done. Good job, buddy.

[Griffin Newman]

We're.

[David Sims]

We're making some progress here.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You want like our two.

[David Sims]

You made a decision about decorating, right?

[Griffin Newman]

Like, good for you.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like you want like, there's your are boy. I'm sorry about the emotional like raising young boys right now. Sorry David to like, you know, I ain't worried.

[David Sims]

It's fine.

[Griffin Newman]

He's only got two.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You got two of them only and. But no, I think it's, it's nice to have be like, look, your mom is, was an athlete and she was super Badass. And she's a woman and she's also your mom and she does all this stuff and we're gonna celebrate her. And I was like, that's nice, right?

[David Sims]

And then she's like, it hurts my feelings. And I was just kind of like at that point I was also just like, you know, short, kind of ready to go. I think they both just need to. Why don't they just go figure this out?

[Griffin Newman]

Privately, I, I had this, I had this larger thought of like, you know, all the against Maestro was like, this is so pretentious. What is he doing with this? Is this self indulgent, right? But there was also not saying about.

[David Sims]

Himself he wants an Oscar so bad.

[Griffin Newman]

Which I, which I mean, you know, we debated, we pushed back on so many times of like, if you want an Oscar, you don't make it film that strange, right?

[David Sims]

I completely agree.

[Griffin Newman]

But it feels like he actually got wounded by this narrative that happened. And it was a similar thing that happened to like DiCaprio in the J. Edgar period, right? Where it feels like his Oscar movies start becoming weirder cuz people were making fun of him doing these kind of straight down the middle Oscar B things. And it's like, I got to win an Oscar for doing a thing that's different than what I've done before, right? And Bradley Cooper's getting dinged as if he made Bohemian Rhapsody, but also for being pretentious and like, you know, inaccessible and whatever. And this movie feels like a real like, oh, I'll show you how unpretentious I can be. Right? And I'm just going to make something that's small scale and focused and character based. And yet I just feel like this movie feels very representative of being like the byproduct of a bunch of older, very rich people who have been successful for a very long time who just like cannot totally relocate normal human behavior.

[David Sims]

I agree a little.

[Griffin Newman]

And Star is born. And Maestro, you just like he can say in these worlds that other people can't access, he has an experience. I'm not even talking about like write what you know.

[David Sims]

But those are also operatic movies, which.

[Griffin Newman]

I think is what he's so good at.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I agree.

[David Sims]

I don't try other stuff either.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

This movie, this movie didn't make me angry, right? And like I was interesting, you know.

[Griffin Newman]

So this scene with the, the poster, I'm like, sure, sure, sure. There is a version of this in which it's like her birthday or whatever. And he goes like, hey, I want to surprise you. I got you Something cool. And he unwraps this frame thing. And she's like, what is this? And he's like, I thought you'd like this. I found this photo. And she's sort of like, why are you giving me a photo of the back of my head?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Right?

[Griffin Newman]

The notion of him delivering it to her as, like, can I show you something cool on my cell phone? I've had this hanging up in my apartment already for two months. I found it and blew it up because I want it to be an inspiration to. To your sons, and I haven't told you. And she just, in real time, gets so mad and processes everything about what's weird about it, where I'm just like, the way in which that happens is so bizarre that I wouldn't even understand what the he was saying, you know, where I'm like, there's an idea in that. I agree with you. That I think is, like, kind of dramatically interesting. And I keep feeling this movie, like, absolutely botch the execution of how these events are play out of how people interact with each other, where I'm just, like, feeling any sort of, like, Cameron Crowe moment of magic being strangled out by, like, logic bumps of just like. I don't think anyone talks like that.

[David Sims]

I mean, I. I hear you. I was a little. I do think it's really funny when Bradley Cooper says to just. He goes like, just flip it. And he's like, what do you mean? Like, it's so.

[Griffin Newman]

It's the front of her face.

[David Sims]

He's like, just flip it. Take it to the store. Like, I. I just love the if. As someone said. Someone said this to me. I forget who that if. Will Arnett is, you know, BoJack, Bradley's playing Mr. Peanut Butter.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, you said that to me. And I was like, that's the guy.

[David Sims]

Who'S just kind of like, in another dimension. Like, you know, got a different way of looking at things.

[Griffin Newman]

I was talking to a friend about this movie and saying, like, it is really fascinating as a sort of study in, like, what is a movie star and what isn't a movie star, right? And I love Will Arnett at doing the Will Arnett thing, and I'm not someone asking him to just do the same thing over and over and over over again. But I was like, is he the right person for this? Can I, like, buy this sort of, like, depth and nuance of emotion and this guy who's putting on a brave face but is kind of quietly crumbling inside?

[David Sims]

Podcast is over.

[Griffin Newman]

Episodes going into. Oh, Tied. And then I remember BoJack, where I'm just like, I actually feel the pain of that cartoon horse. Yeah. More than I do this guy.

[David Sims]

And I, I, I, I did, at least for a while. That show really got on my nerves at a point.

[Griffin Newman]

But the initial, like, I don't think Arnett, I don't know if he's not vulnerable enough. I don't know if there's an ego he's protecting here. I don't know if the material isn't diving deep enough. But I just, like, never cared about this guy and I did not feel like the movie was letting me in. And if the point is this guy doesn't let anyone in and he's a brick wall, I don't think it's playing that well enough either. And, and on the opposite end, like, Lord Dern is someone I basically like, can never not love. I think she, like, never misses and she is always engaging and has just kind of like an automatic perfect balance of, like, comedy and, like, human realism. And I'm just sort of like, this feels like a waste of her energy. She's doing everything you're asking her to do here. Well, but you're really not going to ask her to go deeper than this.

[David Sims]

So you love the film.

[Griffin Newman]

Five stars, they get back together.

[David Sims]

Yeah, they get back.

[Griffin Newman]

The kids learn how to play under pressure.

[David Sims]

Yeah, yeah, that. I was just like, Yeah, I was.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, come on, you haven't heard of this?

[David Sims]

Yeah, I mean, I was just like, it's time for me to go. Yes. I. You have not earned a transcendent.

[Griffin Newman]

Can this single.

[Ben Hosley]

I have a question a little bit. What do we think about Balls and his wife, who are also equally having marital issues. There's a scene later where I guess Bradley Cooper's character got cast in some cowboy.

[Griffin Newman]

I like this bit. And he stole the hat from costume and they killed his character off.

[David Sims]

It seems like he's in a Taylor Sheridan show or something. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

But it was like a two episode arc that for him was just like the magic. And then he stole the hat because he thinks if they have to call to ask for the hat back, they'll also be like, maybe there's a way to bring the character back.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm confused about in what way world are Bradley Cooper and Andra Day and Will Arnett and Laura Dern friends?

[Griffin Newman]

And Sean Hayes and his husband.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Well, Sean Hayes, I get like, she was a fucking Olympian jock. So they're not.

[Ben Hosley]

They all went to Penn.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. I don't know.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

They're probably. No, he's too Stupid to go to Penn.

[Griffin Newman]

I agree with you that none of them feel like friends. None of them feel like friends.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, you know, but it's the same.

[Griffin Newman]

As like, oh, he's wearing a suit so, you know, he has a job where I'm just like, the movie asks us to believe. Like, of course they were friends when they went to college 30 years ago ago. And I'm like, I have no sense of history between these people. There's no sense of like, ease and familiarity.

[Ben Hosley]

But I guess what I'm saying is like, will. Will Arnett's character influences Bradley Cooper to kind of consider maybe separating from his wife.

[Griffin Newman]

Yes. And then later they have a conversation where he's like, oh, no, we bended everything. We're great.

[Ben Hosley]

That to me felt so deflating. But at the same time I'm like, is that realistic maybe? Or like, what's the juxtaposition?

[David Sims]

There's no way they're getting divorced. Divorced. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

I don't know, it just, it stuck with me in a way where it wasn't like I was annoyed by it. I just was like, I don't know what to feel.

[David Sims]

Divorcing balls.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, Everything.

[David Sims]

Like, call a lawyer. Yeah. Forever.

[Ben Hosley]

You kind of can't too. He's too hot.

[Griffin Newman]

And they have like an 18 year old son who's a basketball prospect or some.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

They're not serious people. Like, they're just not serious people. So it's just like, okay, you are.

[David Sims]

Not a serious person.

[Griffin Newman]

But maybe to this point of like, what I want to see Bradley Cooper write about and what I don't, don't. I'm like, this movie feels so locked in and perceptive about the kind of unserious people they are.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

Like, it's not just that, like Bradley is playing like a struggling actor. I'm like, oh, he knows this, right?

[David Sims]

He knows this kind of guy.

[Griffin Newman]

Everything that character says and in a movie that he wrote and Will Arnett also has a screenplay credit on, everything he says feels improvised and feels like this guy could go off for six hours in this character.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

He knows. He knows those people. I don't know if Bradley Cooper knows finance guys who live in Westchester. Father's drink from apple juice boxes.

[Griffin Newman]

I felt the same with Andre Day and I. I was more interested in like, what's going on with their relationship.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Honestly, I definitely thought that. That Andre Day and Will Arnett were.

[Griffin Newman]

Seen on the couch where she's like insulting him, but is like, it's a shame because I used to think you're so Hot.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm like, oh, great. They're going to make out, right? This is going to be the wrinkle and everything.

[Griffin Newman]

That's an interesting, like, French farce. They're all in the house together. No one can talk about who's really.

[David Sims]

They all have sex with Shawn Hayes at some point.

[Griffin Newman]

Did you also feel like Arnett was kind of playing Bateman in this part of. It's the hair and the stubble.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, the hair was bad.

[Griffin Newman]

But even just what his hair looks like, it is his hair now, which is identical to like, that's what Bateman looks all the time.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, Bateman looks good.

[David Sims]

Good.

[Griffin Newman]

Bateman looks great.

[David Sims]

Bateman. Bateman looks pretty terrific.

[Griffin Newman]

The floppy sort of like getting a little grade salt and pepper perpetual kind of like one sort of beard, like.

[David Sims]

Kind of cowlick thing where it's like more whereas the widow's.

[Griffin Newman]

And a very different shaped skull. Sure.

[David Sims]

And I try to measure his skull at the dinner, but they wouldn't let me. It was weird. I was at him with some Cal.

[Griffin Newman]

You had the. You got the calipers before I did?

[David Sims]

No.

[Griffin Newman]

I just even felt like the energy of what he was trying to go for in the performance is this kind of like world weary, winsome kind of sadness that Bateman can do really well.

[David Sims]

Yeah. I mean, maybe Bateman's a better actor. Although sometimes Bateman will phone it. But like, Bateman gives performances every so often where I'm like, yeah, you know, Bateman can be good. Yeah. And obviously I bank with Smart List, so I do need to acknowledge that, of course, that they're my financial services provider.

[Griffin Newman]

Right. And they're my healthcare provider.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm on Smart List dental right now. Why I had to have two teeth removed in the last year.

[David Sims]

My dentist is a podcast producer. He's engineering while he's doing the surgery. What's Bradley Cooper's next directorial effort going to be? Do we know?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

There's certainly things Boo Boo movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Oh, no, he's circling the Boo Boo movie. There are certainly things that I feel like he's kind of called dibs on. But has anything been lined up to be next?

[Ben Hosley]

It seems like he likes to pick like a. A certain creative occupation.

[David Sims]

Someone's saying, like, dig into it and dig into plumber.

[Griffin Newman]

And a different kind of.

[David Sims]

He's directing Super Mario 3.

[Griffin Newman]

A different kind of tense romantic relationship. Well, of course, it has recently been rumored that he would do the Ocean's prequel film.

[David Sims]

Right. But he's not directing.

[Griffin Newman]

Directed by Lee Isaac Chong.

[David Sims]

Right.

[Griffin Newman]

There's the Bullet movie that Spielberg would do.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But what's he going to direct?

[Griffin Newman]

Was Matt Helm supposed to be him directing when they announced that?

[David Sims]

What is that?

[Griffin Newman]

Matt Helm is like a classic, like a pulp paperback.

[David Sims]

Oh, yeah, I think I heard about that. Right, so that's him sort of like trying, like a kind of actiony thing.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. But it's a little bit more of a real world kind of. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Dime store paperback. Secret Agent.

[Griffin Newman]

If that was supposed to be him directing.

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's at Paramount. That's.

[Griffin Newman]

That.

[David Sims]

That. That might be some, I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

Tom Shepard attached to Wright. No. Director announced. And then wasn't there the CIA one that got announced that was like a big fucking hot property.

[David Sims]

Well, that was called Alias. And it was. You know, it's one of her aliases. No, I don't know.

[Griffin Newman]

I think there's another one, but it doesn't seem like there's a clear next thing lined up.

[David Sims]

Yeah, well, I'm excited for whatever it is.

[Griffin Newman]

Best of Answers. Enemies. Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale. MGM bought it after a battle two years ago.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Now, Gore Vidal.

[Griffin Newman]

No, I mean, it's the same title, but what is that about? It's a spy thriller. It's a CIA movie.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, okay.

[Griffin Newman]

But I think there was a rumor, I don't know, like, all the stuff he's attaching himself to as an actor, every time there's another story, they're like, and maybe Bradley might direct this. It feels like he's weighing that status, his options.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, I just want him to. You know, I think maybe one of the reasons why I really loved Balls is because he's a great actor. Well, he's a great actor, but he also. He had the beard, he had the long hair, and he had the hat. And I just feel like I miss Jackson Maine.

[Griffin Newman]

We all miss Jackson Maine.

[David Sims]

I do miss him. He's dead, though. But somehow he returned. What if. Him and Ben Solo. Yeah.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

What if.

[Griffin Newman]

The Hunt for Jackson Me. How crazy is it? I heard that, like, four or five months ago, a listener of the show told me in confidence, like, hey, don't repeat this on Mike, but I worked.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Which you're gonna do right now, like.

[Griffin Newman]

Lucasfilm, for the last, like, seven years. And you wouldn't believe the shit I've seen. And I was like, like what? And he was like, like, in the last year, they killed both a Fincher movie and a Soderbergh movie. And I was like, that's nuts. Wait, no one.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You knew about the Soderbergh thing before?

[Griffin Newman]

Know about that? And now both of those things have come out in the last month.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Wait, I didn't know. I didn't read the Fincher thing. I saw the.

[Griffin Newman]

So it came out that, like, yeah, he was also trying to develop stuff and that they were like, I don't know, too much control, right?

[David Sims]

And they need to fucking. Well, look, I think Mandalorian Grogu is going to underperform, and it might lead to a bit more of a come to Jesus, but we'll see.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I don't think it'll underperform because Grogu is little.

[Ben Hosley]

A little baby.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And, you know, when he eats things, sometimes he throws up.

[David Sims]

He takes the ball. He throws the ball.

[Griffin Newman]

Also, look, he got big ears. Not to bring things back to Franco. Bernard Newly.

[David Sims]

Oh, you're always doing that.

[Griffin Newman]

They will, like, make a billion dollars in Grogu merchandise in 2026. It's like the Cars franchise, where even if the movie underperforms a little bit, it's, like, so good for Disney corporates. I certainly think it could kill excitement at a time where they don't need people getting more. Hold on Star Wars.

[David Sims]

I just wonder if the universal reaction to the Adam Driver, Steven Soderbergh thing of every. Everyone being like, why wouldn't you do that? Why not? Like, what do you have to lose? Like, it's not like Episode nine ended so well that you're like. And yes, his canonical death was so good.

[Griffin Newman]

Right? And they're like, we just. You. We can't get past this. I'm like, it's Star Wars.

[David Sims]

Figure it out. You just thinking about how Palpatine returned. Well, especially if it's like, announce it in Fortnite. Just announce it.

[Griffin Newman]

Especially. Especially when it's. It's like, oh, they passed on it. But what. It was just like Soderberg going in with a rough pitch. And they were like, no finished script. And they were like, but the script wasn't good. They were like, no, everyone really liked it. And they were like, but Driver was on the fence. And we're like, no, no.

[David Sims]

He was the one who really like, oh. And we checked.

[Griffin Newman]

And they were like, but Soderbergh's schedule was busy.

[David Sims]

No, no, he was ready to go. It was gonna be really expensive character that pops. Right, right.

[Griffin Newman]

He's the one who stuck. But that they were also like, we think we figured out how to make a Star wars movie that feels exciting without a burdensome budget, where you're like, they made the risk lower. The Is your problem. And beyond the fact that that character is popular. They've invested so much into, like, Kylo Ren permanently being in theme parks all across the world. These are, like, the reasons that like, like, how to train your dragon got rebooted immediately, you know? And you're telling me that, like, the corporate side of Disney is the one who's like.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, I don't know, you guys. Yeah, I think I could fix him.

[David Sims]

Kylo Ren. Yeah, I could fix him. Does that mean blow him?

[Griffin Newman]

Sorry, David.

[David Sims]

What?

[Griffin Newman]

But he's got the cross saber thing. It's hard to blow him.

[David Sims]

His dick is three ways.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, it's a three way thing, all right.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Ew.

[David Sims]

Insane. That's an insane a.

[Griffin Newman]

Sorry for reporting the truth. Don't shoot the man messenger. I don't like it. It's just his body.

[Ben Hosley]

And that last movie, I'm learning because I started watching all of the series and I watched the. Not the Advocate.

[Griffin Newman]

What's the acolyte? Thank you.

[David Sims]

The Advocate is coming up, though. It's just about Star Wars Court.

[Ben Hosley]

They would do that.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, I thought you were going to make a gay joke.

[David Sims]

No, I already did. I was about blowing Kylo Ren and it was great. I'd love to do it.

[Griffin Newman]

Let me add him lgbt. He's technically in the Star wars universe.

[Ben Hosley]

And Palpatine's like, dungeon. Whatever. Are all references to Path Past Sith Lords, bro. I'm kind of interested.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I want a Luis series.

[Ben Hosley]

I've been saying this.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. There's a Louis CK statue. There's a bat techie statue. An Alu statue. Jeff Ross.

[Ben Hosley]

Darth Stupid idiot.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm combining like two different silos of bits here. Silo Low.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Ren, can I ask you a question? Griffin.

[Griffin Newman]

Yep.

[Ben Hosley]

What's wrong? You didn't like talking about this movie?

[Griffin Newman]

I'm doing great.

[Ben Hosley]

Did we answer the question, by the.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Way, is this thing on?

[David Sims]

It's on. Kind of.

[Griffin Newman]

I don't know if you guys saw my letterbox.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

This thing's off.

[David Sims]

It was like, turn it off.

[Griffin Newman]

I said, please turn it off.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I wanted to.

[Griffin Newman]

You want to ask.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I wanted to ask you, but also open the floor to everyone else, what films have gotten conscious comedy right in your opinion?

[David Sims]

We're wrapping this episode Funny People. That's interesting. But I like that movie a lot.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I have. I've only saw it once.

[David Sims]

I rewatched it recently. The stand up in it is not good.

[Griffin Newman]

I agree.

[David Sims]

It's not like. Right. It's sort of somewhat realistically bad.

[Griffin Newman]

I. Yeah. I think it's part of what it gets. Right.

[David Sims]

But I think it gets. I do love that movie.

[Griffin Newman]

It gets the dynamics of it and the energy of it. Correct. I. I think Big sick does it a good job.

[David Sims]

Yes. Big six. Yeah. Yeah.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm trying to think of anything else I like would.

[Ben Hosley]

I mean King of comedy gets it right and that most standup comedians are like crazy now.

[David Sims]

If it was made now, he would have a podcast.

[Griffin Newman]

Those are most of the people you meet at open mics. Yeah. Oh, can I end the episode with my open mic story? I already teased it.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah. And then we'll end there.

[David Sims]

There's no box office game, obviously. This is coming out up against Avatar. I'm sure it's going to beat it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. They're predicting 200 mil domestic. We're recording this a little bit.

[David Sims]

Tracking is fluctuating.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Laura Dern limited. Such a good nav.

[Ben Hosley]

She would.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

My God, she'd be so good.

[Griffin Newman]

Marie. This episode might have to go on a little longer now cuz I don't know how soon I'll be able to stand up. Some very powerful imagery has face entered my head. A kind of cross section of things that bewitch me.

[David Sims]

I ate all of my Hiroshima carp nuts. They're good.

[Griffin Newman]

Congratulations. I'm so proud of you.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah. I didn't do this on Mike, but I gave everyone little presents from Japan.

[Griffin Newman]

You got Mike, you got me my. My samurai Woody Griffin.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Pull the string.

[Griffin Newman]

He's so handsome. They got Tom Hanks to do that. That's the crazy easiest part. Not even Jim let me do the Japanese one.

[David Sims]

What was your question to him that was going to end the episode?

[Griffin Newman]

He said worst open mic. Right. And I'm sure I could think of like a one off of like a bad room. I did at some point. But this is like the best bad open mic story. You know, they're just many times I bomb many times I would do okay. And then the five guys after me just got up and made gay jokes and everything was good. The early 2010s were great. Really, really healthy time. And now we fixed everything and comedy. Somebody is set. Right. We've made them our thought leaders.

[Ben Hosley]

Can you imagine now, like open mics, they people test out crowd work on other comedians. I'm sure that's happening. It sounds like an absolute nightmare.

[Griffin Newman]

It's great. It's great. The Eastville mic was the main one. I would do Eastville. Eastville, sure. Which would basically have mics, I want to say four days a week. Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

I used to go to that room as well.

[Griffin Newman]

A terribly depressing mic. But was one that, like, you know, it was a very long sign up list. You would see people, you know, I was regularly seeing, like Anthony DeVito, who's a really good comic, you know, and like micro scene, whoever, like people who've become successful. So there would be like bright spots in it. But it tended to be a list of like 30 plus names. And the people who get there first are lining up before noon to come back at three. So you have to structure your entire day around it. And if you're not getting in that early, you're like, oh, I'm probably waiting two to three hours before I. I do my bad five minutes. But I go, I guess they must have had a Friday mic too. But it was usually less attended because people were trying to get good bar shows on Friday night. And I went to the Friday mic one time and there were only like three other people there. And whoever it was who was hosting it was just like, yeah, it's just casual. We'll all just like do our five minutes and leave. You know, let's just try to be like, good energy, supportive. And there was like one random guy there who wasn't performing that maybe someone brought as a friend, right? And like the host gets up, he does okay. Other guy gets up, does okay. I get up. And I felt like I did really well all considering. And it was one of those moments where I felt kind of proud where I'm like, there are four people in this room. If a joke gets like two hass, I know how to convert that.

[David Sims]

Right?

[Griffin Newman]

And I know how to, like, perform with the energy as if there's a real crowd here and not be like deflated by it and, like, take the notes I need of what I'm doing well and doing poorly. And it was a moment where I felt like, I think I understand the machinery of how to get better at doing this. Right. And I walked off and this. The one guy who was like, not a comedian was like, really laughing. He was like, hey, man, that was really great. And I was like, thank you. He was like, really, really funny stuff. I'm like, excited to see you, like, perform more. And I was like, oh, thanks. And then the final comic gets up and this is a strict light at four minutes, you're off the stage at five mike. Right? Even when there are only four people, they're like, let's stick to the time.

[David Sims]

Sure.

[Griffin Newman]

This final guy gets up. Never seen him before, never see him again. Big burly guy and gets up and just basically starts exclusively doing material about pussy. Juice and equating himself to Popeye and how he gulps it like spinach and his muscles pop out and he gets strong. And the guy who had just been so kind, kind to me, it's like, yes. He is laughing harder than anyone has.

[David Sims]

Finally someone says it.

[Griffin Newman]

I have never heard anyone laugh harder at anything. He is losing his mind. He is like rolfocoptering on the floor. No, I think he was the host of the mic. I'm sorry. And then at. At like seven minutes, he goes like, they wouldn't remember to like time me. I must have blown the light already. And that. That guy goes, keep going, never stop. And I watched this guy do 20 straight minutes just about juice to this dude. Basically, like in real time, calling up at the Kennedy center and being like Mark Twain Prize now here.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Were there any women in the room that night?

[Griffin Newman]

Absolutely not Very often. It would be like two. And it was a very, very male dominated space that felt.

[Ben Hosley]

I think it's gotten better since we did it. I think the Brooklyn sort of alt scene opened up a lot more.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

There was a joke that I did laugh at, which is in. I think it was a Jordan bit. In is this thing where she's talking about getting a bikini.

[Griffin Newman]

That is a good bit.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Folds the paper and the triangle gets smaller. And I was like, oh, that's. That's funny. That was a really clever use of a prop.

[Griffin Newman]

Yep.

[Ben Hosley]

It's weirdly in her special, though, like her Netflix special.

[Griffin Newman]

It's a real bit.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Only familiar with her from this movie and being a terf on Stavi.

[David Sims]

Getting kind of shut down by Stavi.

[Griffin Newman]

A huge L on Stavi's world. But she is a good comedian and it's frustrating and it's a whole complicated discussion about the ecosystem that I don't.

[David Sims]

Want to get into.

[Ben Hosley]

Outspoken. That was just like her. She's being contrarian.

[Griffin Newman]

There's fucking herd mentality shit. With this, like, collection of five guys in Austin who are the king makers.

[David Sims]

And what rocks is that stuff is like, not just like, you know, correcting her and talking to her in a way. Not correct, you know, like, you know, addressing what she's saying. But then he's like, you just are Austin brain, right? This comedy poison was like, you're a.

[Griffin Newman]

Real comedian with real material. What are you doing here? There's like no punchline. You're just being like, ignorant, you know? But she. She has good material.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah, I thought that bit.

[Griffin Newman]

No, I. I think, like, it's another way in which mics have changed is I Think the. The common mics were very hostile environments for women. Like, similar to the, like, slurs guys would throw at me. Like, despite being a straight male performing at these things that women would basically notice. Stay away. And if, like, someone like Ali Wong dropped in and just like a machine gun destroyed, you were like, oh, yeah, they know not to touch her, right?

[David Sims]

Yeah. And she's gonna destroy them too.

[Griffin Newman]

And I think over time, as, like, there was a comedy upswing that Ben and I were sort of, like, getting out of. Right before it got big. More women came to it and we're just like this, we're going to start our own mics. And these, like, better mics that exist now where they, like, find a bar and they're like, this is a warm room. And we're actually trying to, like, be a good crowd and not be antagonistic.

[David Sims]

It sounds like woke. And what I need is for people to be mean and racist.

[Griffin Newman]

David beat me to the conclusion of my story. But go, woke, go, bro. Comedy is ruined now.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Well, I thought woke up. Woke was back, because that is actually true.

[David Sims]

Woke is back. You better put those pronouns in by.

[Griffin Newman]

It's weird. Woke is back. But comedy is also legal again now.

[David Sims]

I'll tell you that. Woke. I'll tell you one way woke us back. Dasha just got dropped by her fucking agent for interviewing Nick Fuentes on her normal podcast. Yeah, her getting dropped by her agent is a little bit. Claude Rain is going like. I'm shocked. There's gambling.

[Griffin Newman]

Well, thank you all for listening. Tune in next week for the new Park Chan Wook film. No other choice with our guests and our concern, Dick Fuentes.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Don't joke, guys.

[David Sims]

We denounced Nick Fuentes.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm gonna be on that episode. I. I really. I really liked that movie.

[Griffin Newman]

Night and Day Experience, I think currently sits at my number three for the year I love.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Although I will say Ben and I sat together in the back of the screening room and someone ripped a fart.

[Ben Hosley]

In the middle of the movie multiple times. It was stinking.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Both were looking at.

[David Sims]

So the fart detective made an appearance. You're telling me what was the screening room?

[Griffin Newman]

Which.

[David Sims]

Which. Where did you see it?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, you started posting Chelsea. Yeah.

[David Sims]

Did you get candy?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I did.

[Griffin Newman]

Hell, yeah. Raisinets, Raisinuts.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And I got popcorn. And then I started. Started reclining my chair, but it made a fart noise.

[David Sims]

Dude, when you recline your chair at.

[Griffin Newman]

Post one, it's like, yeah, you're telling me someone ripped a nasty fart. But also you kept making fart Noises. No, but when the person who actually we can.

[David Sims]

We can hash this out another. I had a choice. I've got to go home.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Okay, I know, I'm sorry, but I'm just saying, like, it was a silent but deadly fart. I didn't hear the fart.

[David Sims]

So it wasn't far.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

We just smelled it.

[David Sims]

And this is a detective situation for sure.

[Griffin Newman]

But I don't think I. Marie looks over. Little mustache, pipe cap already on.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But I also like. It was like one of those things where both Ben and I are looking at each other, kind of like suspicious of each other. Like, was it you?

[David Sims]

It wasn't me.

[Ben Hosley]

I was like.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I thought it was Ben. And I wasn't gonna say anything because.

[Griffin Newman]

It smelled like Sour Patch Kids.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But then we exchanged a look like, okay, it wasn't us. We need to find out who did this.

[David Sims]

It's like a 20 seat room. I mean, how many people could there have been?

[Griffin Newman]

It's a twisted mystery out of a Park Chan Wook film, only from. Yeah, I can't wait to talk about.

[David Sims]

That one next week. Park Chan Wook's. No other choice. And then we're doing Lynne Ramsey. And we will start with her film Rat Catcher.

[Griffin Newman]

Ben, have you ever seen it? No.

[David Sims]

Get them subtitles on Ben. You think that movie's in English? Yes, it is.

[Griffin Newman]

And it's written a form of English.

[David Sims]

I think you will like it.

[Griffin Newman]

But Ben, I mean, just the title alone. What are you thinking?

[Ben Hosley]

I mean, I'm into it.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah, I'm into it. You know why? Because I'm like, is this a job?

[David Sims]

Yeah, it's a dark movie. It's a very good movie. I haven't seen in years. I saw it when it came out, which is.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

That's why old were you?

[David Sims]

I was 13 or 14. My mom interviewed her and. Yeah, that's cool.

[Griffin Newman]

Excited to do the series.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Yeah.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Over on the Patreon, we're in the midst of doing our commentary series on the films of the wizard of Oz.

[Griffin Newman]

Getting ready to ease on down the road. Right. In a week or so.

[Ben Hosley]

Yeah. We just kicked off the year with the wizard of Oz. Obviously.

[David Sims]

Kind of low key. Hyped to watch the wizard of Oz, I gotta say.

[Griffin Newman]

Do you know that movie rules?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

So why aren't we going to the Sphere?

[Griffin Newman]

Marie, Marie, Marie, get the in here. Yeah, you guys have this thing on.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

When are you recording these Oz episodes?

[Griffin Newman]

We'll loop you in.

[David Sims]

Yeah, we'll loop you in. We're doing some right before Thanksgiving, I think.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, well, Then I'm gone.

[Griffin Newman]

No, you might be here, but it's the wizard. The Wiz. Is that the order return to Oz and the two Wicked.

[David Sims]

Yes, that's what we're doing.

[Ben Hosley]

But the. The Wiz. About a week out. So around the time that our cartoon.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I'm excited to listen to you get excited about the Wiz. I think that's an interesting. I think you have an interesting.

[Griffin Newman]

One of my 10 favorite movies. I think is cool up there amongst the films I've watched.

[David Sims]

You love that movie.

[Ben Hosley]

So who's who?

[David Sims]

Tag yourselves.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Well, clearly, I'm Dorothy.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah. David's the lion.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

David's the lion. The cowardly lion.

[Griffin Newman]

You're the Scarecrow.

[David Sims]

I am not the one lion.

[Griffin Newman]

You are the lion, you big scaredy puss.

[David Sims]

I'm not.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, my God.

[David Sims]

Definitely not.

[Griffin Newman]

Let's see what happens when you get on a plane.

[David Sims]

Really hard fun of a phobia. Does not make me the lion. Just to stick up for myself a little bit. I do not.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Are the most lion.

[David Sims]

Yeah.

[Ben Hosley]

Like, look, I kind of think.

[David Sims]

Yeah, but I don't have a Bert Lair thing. I'm sorry. It's just not.

[Griffin Newman]

What do you have a Ted Ross?

[Ben Hosley]

Some kind of goofy? Goofy, maybe.

[Griffin Newman]

Who are you? The Lion?

[David Sims]

Because I'm here. Yeah, like.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

But here's the thing. There's. We have no Tin Man.

[Griffin Newman]

I'm the Tin Man.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

You're the Tin Man? Yeah. You're the Scarecrow.

[Griffin Newman]

No, Ben's the Scarecrow.

[Ben Hosley]

I'm the Scarecrow.

[David Sims]

This is becoming a strange conversation. Why is Ben the Scarecrow?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Ben's not the Scarecrow.

[Griffin Newman]

First of all, Ben is loyal as hell.

[Ben Hosley]

I am loyal, sure, but he's not.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Like, wily, you know?

[Griffin Newman]

You're saying Ben can't be wily?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Not in the way that you are. You're like Mr. Like, you know, Rubber Bones.

[David Sims]

Why are you the Tin Man?

[Griffin Newman]

Brokenhearted?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Oh, my God.

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, I'm doing great.

[Ben Hosley]

Jesus. All right, well, anyway, this is the end of our episode.

[Griffin Newman]

Clown.

[David Sims]

You know what? It's probably not a very good tag yourself for some, I'm realizing because you're also basically like, who's brainless? Who's Art?

[Griffin Newman]

Who needs a brain?

[David Sims]

Yeah, sure. He needs a brain.

[Griffin Newman]

Anyway, this episode was supposed to end four hours ago.

[Ben Hosley]

About a half an hour ago.

[David Sims]

Yeah, but we did.

[Griffin Newman]

Okay.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Two and a half hours.

[David Sims]

I got to go.

[Griffin Newman]

Everything's so good.

[Ben Hosley]

All right, close this out, and then you'll hear a clip of me eating a sandwich at the end.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

And. And as always.

[Griffin Newman]

And as Always. I hope you all enjoy what David wanted to start the episode.

[David Sims]

It was funny.

[Griffin Newman]

A recording of Ben eating a sandwich and us fighting about.

[David Sims]

No, it's him saying, I wasn't hungry.

[Griffin Newman]

They'll hear it right now. I'm not saying we need two. I'm just saying we might want one.

[David Sims]

Well, who. What Mama?

[Griffin Newman]

Mama's out here doing it for themselves.

[David Sims]

Uh huh.

[Ben Hosley]

I'm just eating a chicken parm before he gets started.

[David Sims]

Why did you do this?

[Griffin Newman]

Yeah, it's a perfect timing. Who's this? You said, I'm recording.

[David Sims]

I said like. Anyway, I'm ready to go. Produces a gigantic, gigantic sand.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

Well, because you guys thought for so long.

[Griffin Newman]

Let me, let me.

[Ben Hosley]

I wasn't hungry.

[Griffin Newman]

Let me just recap. Are we recording right now? Are we recording right now? Are the mics rolling right now? Can we put this at the end of the episode?

[David Sims]

I think we should put it at the start of the damn episode.

[Griffin Newman]

This.

[Marie Barty Salinas]

This should go in the clip. The clip show.

[David Sims]

I really think this is the start of the episode.

[Griffin Newman]

Why not? Sandwich on Mike.

[David Sims]

He can mute his audio. I'm just gonna have a couple bites.

[Griffin Newman]

That's not the start of the episode. It's not the start of the episode.

[David Sims]

Why? It's incredibly funny, unlike most of the things we'll be discussing this week.

[Griffin Newman]

Also, it can also not be the start of the episode. I just want to talking about. What is this argument here?

[Marie Barty Salinas]

I don't think Ben is allowed like his own moments of misophonia because he's normally so good. Like he's not. Ben is never the problem in my opinion.

[Griffin Newman]

Sorry I say this. Whoa.

[David Sims]

Yeah, I. I love. That was funny.

[Ben Hosley]

Ben is never the problem. Blank Check with Griffin and David is hosted by Griffin Newman and David Sims. Our executive producer is me, Ben Hosley. Our creative producer is Marie Barty Salinas. And our Associate producer is AJ McKeon. This show is mixed and edited by AJ McKeon and Alan Smithee. Research by JJ Burch. Our theme song is by Lane Montgomery in the Great American Novel with additional music by Alan, Alex Mitchell, artwork by Joe Bowen, Ollie Moss and Pat Reynolds. Our production assistant is Minick. Special thanks to David Cho, Jordan Fish and Nate Patterson for their production help. Head over to blankcheckpod.com for links to all of the real nerdy shit. Join our Patreon Blank Check special features for exclusive franchise commentaries and bonus episodes. Follow us on social subscribe to our weekly newsletter Checkbook on subscribers. Substack this podcast is created and produced by Blank Check Productions.